TORONTO, October 29, 2026 – The Canada–European Union summit is being held in Montreal on October 29. Ahead of the meeting, the latest draft joint statement removed earlier language proposing that Canada become an “associate member” of the European Union, replacing it with a commitment to establish “closer ties” between the two sides. Canada and the EU will continue discussions on a future cooperation framework.
In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed inviting Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member,” aiming to strengthen relations beyond their existing partnership. However, “associate member” is not an officially recognized status under current EU treaties, and its legal standing and scope remain unclear.
According to Euronews, Germany, France, Italy and Greece had raised concerns about earlier versions of the draft joint statement. Germany was particularly concerned about the legal basis for the term “associate member” and its potential institutional implications. Following consultations among member states, the latest draft no longer includes the designation.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously said Canada is more focused on the substance of cooperation than on the title itself. The latest draft proposes that Canada and the EU continue pursuing closer cooperation and further discuss the specific arrangements for their relationship ahead of the next summit.
The Montreal summit will continue through October 30. According to the agenda published by the Council of the European Union, discussions will cover trade, digital technology, critical minerals, energy, defence and security, education, research and youth exchanges. The two sides also plan to introduce an “Alliance for the Future” as a framework for expanding economic, security and people-to-people cooperation.
Canada and the EU already maintain economic and trade cooperation through the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and further strengthened their security and defence relationship in 2025. According to EU figures, bilateral trade in goods and services totalled approximately €130 billion in 2025.
As of the morning of October 29, reports that the “associate member” wording had been removed were still based on a draft joint statement. EU officials said a formal joint statement would be released after the summit, while discussions on the two sides’ future cooperation arrangements would continue during the meeting.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
