EU chief floats ‘associate membership’ for Canada. But that doesn’t exist yet

BRUSSELS (AP) — By opening the door this week for Canada to become the first “associate member” of the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered Prime Minister Mark Carney hope, but also an illusion.

There are many ways to take steps toward joining the world’s biggest trade bloc, or to deepen trade or political ties with it, but associate membership isn’t one of them. It simply does not exist.

Still, no matter how vague, von der Leyen’s offer was a win for Carney, who is locked in a trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. It also offers the EU a firm partnership with another Western democracy as its own ties with and trust in its old ally the United States fade.

“In this new world, we must urgently reimagine our partnerships,” von der Leyen said on Wednesday. Then she did exactly that, saying to Carney: “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the EU.”

Did she mean Association Agreement?

While “associate membership” is yet to be defined, Association Agreements do exist. More than 20 countries — ranging from Albania to Israel to Ukraine — already have them with the bloc.

These treaties govern relations on trade and security and are seen as an important step toward membership. It’s unclear how von der Leyen’s proposal of associate membership would differ, or whether Canada would have to agree to such a treaty first.

Only EU member countries can rule on enlargement and treaties

Association Agreements and any other decisions over enlarging the EU and its formal relations with the outside world require the unanimous approval of all 27 EU member countries, and von der Leyen did not consult widely about her proposal of associate membership.

Getting all 27 countries behind the offer, especially one this vague, will pose a major challenge.

Even among those who support stronger ties with Canada, there are concerns. German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said that Berlin welcomes the idea but that it has reservations — at least about the name the new relationship might be given.

“We are open to discussing new partnership models,” he said after von der Leyen’s speech. “But we should rethink the concept, the title that is connected with this.”

In May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the EU to consider offering associate membership to conflict-torn Ukraine to breathe new life into talks aimed at ending more than four years of war with Russia. Ukraine is seeking full membership, nothing less.

Helen McEntee, the foreign affairs and trade minister of Ireland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, meanwhile, said that her government was ready “to explore associate membership for Canada.”

David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, was more cautious, saying that the proposal’s “concrete terms now need careful assessment.”

Canada embraced the invitation

Carney himself welcomed the invitation but wasn’t sure about the form it would take.

“We’re going to better define the broad lines of this new alliance,” he said at the European Parliament on Thursday. He pointed to the EU-Canada summit in Montreal on Oct. 29-30 as a good place to start.

“What matters is the substance. What are we actually building together, how do we combine our strengths in a way that serves our people better, protects our fundamental rights and creates prosperity,” Carney said.

He was very clear on one point though. “Canada is not in a position, nor seeking, to become a full member of the European Union,” he said.

Trump is wary of a potentially ‘hostile act’

The offer certainly grabbed Trump’s attention. He suggested that allowing Canada to become an associate EU member could be a “hostile act” and threatened to respond by imposing more trade restrictions on the bloc.

Trump said that if European leaders are acting out of “a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.”

Carney insisted that Canada, through its overtures to the EU, is not seeking to create a bloc that would become “a great power rival, only with better manners.” Neither he nor von der Leyen mentioned Trump by name during their speeches.

For Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive at the European Policy Centre think tank, Trump’s response showed that the new EU-Canada partnership matters.

But Zuleeg agreed that the nuts and bolts of EU-Canada ties are far more important than its name. “The label must now be filled with concrete substance, not remain another announcement,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.