European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday in Montreal that Canada should be discussed as the EU’s first associate member ahead of Canada–EU Summit talks.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that this week’s Canada–EU Summit—hosted in Montreal by Prime Minister Mark Carney—has opened discussions about making Canada the European Union’s first “associate member.”
In a speech delivered Thursday morning in Montreal, von der Leyen said Canada cannot become a fully fledged EU member because of geography, but argued that “we both want to bring our relationship to the highest level possible,” adding that this is why the EU is considering “the idea of Canada becoming the first associate member of the European Union.” She also said that after she proposed associate member status in a September speech, Canadian and European officials “immediately downplayed the language” and instead spoke of an “alliance for the future.”
Von der Leyen’s proposal has also faced pushback in the lead-up to the summit, with several EU member nations, including Germany, rejecting the term when the language was floated in documents ahead of the meetings. Several European news agencies also reported this week that the idea was off the table, while Carney has said the substance of the agreement matters more than the terminology used to describe the evolving relationship.
She said the EU wants to work first with Canada and then with other countries to reinforce national sovereignty and interests, warning that “We can no longer let ourselves be shackled by the limits of the old world order,” and that “We are witnessing a deeper decay in international order.” Von der Leyen pointed to “choke points” in trade, where one country coerces another by manipulating supply chains, and said her comments come in the context of U.S. tariffs and China’s leverage over critical minerals, while arguing that countries can either work strategically with close partners or face threats on their own.
According to von der Leyen, a new partnership could include expanding Canada’s role using its mining expertise to develop mineral resources at home, with support boosted by European “industrial demand, technology and investment.” She also said “Tomorrow we will finalize our agreement to bring Canada into Europe’s infrastructure for supercomputing,” and described joint work in the Arctic on ocean monitoring, “critical raw materials” and connectivity as Russia rebuilds its Arctic military footprint.
Von der Leyen also said the EU will deepen Canada’s engagement in university student exchanges through Erasmus+, and strengthen Canada’s participation in the next phase of Horizon. She added that there could be cross-Atlantic collaboration between elected officials and judiciaries, noting that the European Parliament recently announced it is opening a satellite office in Ottawa to facilitate more exchanges with Canadian MPs and senators, and saying it could involve “parliament to parliament — between our two parliaments — and court to court.” Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is not participating, and instead sent his newly appointed chief diplomat Pascal Paradis after Carney refused his request to speak at the summit; the summit agenda includes a welcome dinner with elected and business leaders before leaders meet on Friday.
scope: National
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