EU chief lays out vision for new Canada partnership at Montreal summit
Europe's chief has pitched Canada as the EU's first ever associate member at a Montreal summit, promising a partnership closer to membership than ever before, even as some member states argue over the title.
Europe's top official has set out a bold vision for Canada's future relationship with the European Union, telling a summit in Montreal that the two sides could build a partnership closer to membership than anything the bloc has offered a non-European country before.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Canada could become the bloc's first ever associate member, a status that does not currently exist in EU treaties. She described it as association without accession, with close alignment on rules and policies and joint work on research, defence and clean energy.
Not every member state agrees on the name. Germany and others pushed the associate member title out of the summit's draft joint statement, preferring softer language about an ever closer association, and work on defining the relationship will continue into next year.
Behind the debate is a shared motive: Canada wants to reduce its reliance on the United States amid an ongoing trade war, while Europe wants a trusted partner for security, critical minerals and trade. Canada's prime minister has said the wording matters less than the difference it makes to Canadians' lives.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.