Carney targets June deal on Canada-EU associate membership

MONTREAL – Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he expects to conclude negotiations in June on making Canada the European Union’s first “associate member,” a status that would stop short of full EU membership.

Carney made the announcement at the end of a two-day Canada-EU summit in Montreal, where the two sides launched what they called an “Alliance for the Future.” The United States took 71.7 per cent of Canada’s merchandise exports in 2025, The Associated Press reported, which frames why Ottawa is pursuing a closer tie with Europe.

“We are working towards the deepest possible partnership, short of accession,” Carney said at the closing news conference, adding that Canada would become the EU’s first associate member. He said he would attend a meeting of European leaders in June to conclude the talks.

The status has no basis in the EU treaties, and its practical effect remains to be negotiated, Euronews reported. The joint declaration issued after the summit did not mention associate membership. Leaders agreed instead to define an “ever-closer association” by their next summit in 2027, AP reported. Euronews reported that Germany had objected to the term “associate member” while the declaration was being drafted.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who floated the idea in September, was careful about its limits. “We know that Canada cannot be a full-fledged member of the European Union, but to have a relationship as close as possible, this is our goal,” she said. European Council President Antonio Costa said Canada is “by far the most European of non-European countries.”

Carney framed the move as a question of independence. “Above all, this is about sovereignty,” he said. He said Cabinet ministers and European commissioners would meet in March, ahead of the June talks, and Euronews reported that he has pledged a vote in the Canadian Parliament on the outcome.

The summit produced concrete results beyond the label. AP reported that digital trade talks were concluded and that Canada and the European Investment Bank finished a critical-minerals agreement. Von der Leyen also pointed to Canada’s full integration into the EU’s Horizon research and Erasmus programs, Euronews reported.

The plan carries a risk with Washington. AP reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the arrangement could be a “hostile act” and has threatened tariffs.

The announcement follows days of Canada-EU developments covered by Canada News Media, including the opening of the Montreal summit, the Quebec premier’s decision to skip it and the EU carbon tariff that exposes $2.8 billion of Canadian metals.

What happens next: the ministers-and-commissioners meeting in March, and Carney’s expected attendance at the June leaders’ meeting, where he hopes to close the deal.

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Via The Associated Press and Euronews.