EU-Canada summit drops 'associate membership' label, pursues deeper ties

EU member states blocked the term "associate membership" from the summit declaration ahead of the EU-Canada meeting opening Thursday in Montreal, according to a joint declaration seen by Reuters.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had suggested making Canada the bloc's first associate member six weeks ago. Germany led a group of member states that argued the concept carried no legal status and had not been fleshed out. Existing EU treaties make no provision for such a status, diplomats noted.

The revised declaration, expected to be published on Friday, instead calls for "ever closer association". Full definition of the relationship will continue until another summit next year.

President Donald Trump had previously called the EU's proposal to make Canada an associate member "laughable" and said that if he interpreted the move as a "hostile act," the US might stop trading with Europe "on many things."

The declaration also includes a joint initiative on new subsea cable infrastructure to improve international connectivity between Europe, Canada and Asia, a joint feasibility study on Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe, and measures to enable young Canadians and Europeans to work across the Atlantic.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland played down the terminology dispute on Tuesday. "The good news is it doesn't matter about specific names or nomenclature," she told reporters. "What matters is the difference it will make to the lives of Canadians." She added that the summit marks the launch of further formal negotiations that will take another year.

Canada ships nearly 70% of its exports to the US, while the EU accounts for about 9% of Canada's total trade. Deeper ties to Europe are a central part of Freeland's strategy to reduce Canada's economic and security reliance on the US since Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods.