Von der Leyen Defends 'Associate Membership' for Canada as Montreal Summit Opens Amid EU Dispute

On Thursday in Montreal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stood at the opening of a two-day Canada-EU summit and described what she means by "associate membership" for Canada. It is, she said, a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything the EU has done before, and one open only to its closest partners outside Europe who are ready to open a new frontier together. In her account it includes close alignment on governance and policies, and joint work in research and innovation.

For decades, Canada-EU summits passed with little fanfare. This one is being watched closely for detail on how the two sides will deepen their ties. The status itself does not currently exist. Von der Leyen first floated "opening the door" to Canada last month, after Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg and told lawmakers that Canada and Europe were "stronger together" in the face of "geopolitical rupture."

The trouble is the label. Carney and many member states welcome closer ties, but not all like the name. Germany is among those questioning it, fearing Canada would receive preferential treatment ahead of other countries that also want in. According to multiple news outlets, Germany and others successfully lobbied to strip the title from a draft statement before the summit, which now refers to an "ever closer association." Von der Leyen has kept using the term and has not addressed the dispute.

Germany's ambassador to Canada, Matthias Lüttenberg, told CTV News on Tuesday that some member states were "a little surprised" by last month's announcement. Support for closer ties is broad, he said, but the idea of associate membership is not clearly understood as it applies to Canada. Germany, he added, has used the term for something quite different: the EU's relationship with Ukraine and potentially Moldova, both of which have sought to join the bloc for years.

The substance, meanwhile, is taking shape. Canadian officials expect agreements on defence, critical minerals, research and trade over the two days. European officials, speaking to reporters earlier in the week, played down the chance of a major announcement and said much would be settled in the coming months. Clues have emerged anyway: closer business ties, and more students studying on both sides of the Atlantic. Canadian officials say Canada does not plan to pay a membership fee like EU states do; it is instead looking at taking part in selected EU programmes that would benefit both sides. Later Thursday, Carney and von der Leyen were due to meet business leaders from Europe and Canada at a forum.

The groundwork has been laid. Canada recently signed an agreement giving its defence companies procurement access to the EU's Security and Defence Partnership programme. In May it signed a landmark energy deal with Germany for the first long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas from Canada to Europe in the coming years. On Thursday, Canada also released its first National Security Strategy in two decades, which lists supporting security and stability in Europe as a priority.

The backdrop is Canada's trade war with the United States, its neighbour and largest trading customer. Carney, in office since last year, has pushed Canada toward Europe. President Donald Trump has called the idea of Canadian associate membership "laughable" and threatened "very serious tariffs" on Europe if he deemed it a hostile act. Canadian officials stressed Wednesday that the pivot is not meant to offend anyone but to build on work already underway. One senior Canadian official, speaking anonymously at a briefing, said the wording is "emblematic of the ambition."

At home, polls show most Canadians favour closer ties with Europe, but Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called the effort a distraction from the cost of living. "No one's mortgage or grocery bill will come down," he said, noting Canada already has a free trade pact with the EU. Carney has said the "nomenclature" does not matter; what counts, he said, is the difference it makes to the lives of Canadians. The details, and the name, are likely to be worked out in the months ahead.