Photo: EPA
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that she wanted to take relations between the EU and Canada to the “highest possible level,” promoting the idea of granting Ottawa associate member status in the European Union — despite EU capitals rejecting the term a day earlier.
POLITICO reported the disagreement.
Von der Leyen made the proposal ahead of a major EU-Canada summit in Montreal, where she and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected to announce plans to deepen cooperation amid rising authoritarianism worldwide and unpredictable relations with US President Donald Trump.
“Canada cannot become a full member of the EU because of its geographical location, but we both want to take our relationship to the highest possible level,” von der Leyen said in a speech hosted by the C.D. Howe Institute.
“That is why we are discussing the idea of Canada becoming the European Union’s first associate member.”
Shortly after her speech, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a statement announcing that the EU and Canada were establishing an “Alliance for the Future,” without mentioning associate membership.
EU diplomats told POLITICO that Germany had led opposition to using the term.
“We are arguing among ourselves over a few words that von der Leyen simply made up,” one EU diplomat told the publication on Wednesday. “It is somewhat absurd, because we should have ambitious goals and focus on other things. This is not our finest moment.”
In a speech several hours later at the summit-related events, European Council President António Costa sought to ease the disagreement by playing down the importance of the terminology.
“Tomorrow, the European Union and Canada will launch an Alliance for the Future of Europe,” he said, referring to Merz’s statement and using the term preferred by Carney to describe relations between the two sides.
“President von der Leyen has even put forward the bold idea of making Canada an ‘associate member’ of the European Union,” Costa said, adding that he shared her ambition.
“Whether or not this exact term eventually takes hold, one thing is clear: our partnership will be the closest, deepest and most unique of its kind,” he added.
In her speech, von der Leyen said discussions on associate membership would focus on expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, climate and energy policy, as well as strengthening collaboration between the European Commission and the Canadian government.
The proposal also envisages cooperation between parliaments and courts, including between the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Supreme Court of Canada.
According to von der Leyen, the status would be available “only to our closest partners beyond Europe who are ready to open new horizons together — and chart a course together, move beyond the current limits of our partnership and pursue the most ambitious vision we can deliver.”
Von der Leyen first mentioned the idea of associate membership in September. Her renewed use of the term is likely to reignite tensions in some EU capitals after a group of countries led by Germany opposed including it in a joint EU-Canada statement reviewed by POLITICO and expected to be published on Friday.
After several days of negotiations, EU countries opted for softer language to describe future relations, including “Alliance for the Future” — the term used by Canada — and “an even closer association ... without full membership.”
Diplomats told POLITICO that while European capitals support the broader goal of deepening ties with Canada, they are cautious about creating a status that has never previously been offered and whose legal boundaries remain undefined.
Berlin had previously proposed associate membership for Ukraine, including specific privileges such as observer status in the European Commission, but that initiative was rejected.
Asked on Tuesday about reports that EU countries would drop the term “associate member,” Carney said:
“The good news is that the specific names or terminology don't matter. What matters is how this will affect the lives of Canadians ... and how Canada as a whole will become a more independent, more sovereign country, so that we can live the way we choose.”
Both Carney and von der Leyen have presented this week's summit as part of broader efforts to strengthen ties at a time when both Ottawa and Brussels have had disagreements with the Trump administration.
In her speech, von der Leyen warned of the “further decline of the international order.”
“ Alliances and established assumptions that have ensured our prosperity and security are changing rapidly, and every country or region is looking for ways to protect its own interests and independence,” she said.
“We can no longer allow ourselves to be constrained by the limitations of the old world order.”
