Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made an explosive offer to Canada: to become the first “associate member” of the EU. Today, the term is proving difficult to swallow for several member states, including Germany.
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On the eve of the EU-Canada summit, supposed to define what many consider the closest partnership between the bloc and a non-member country, European capitals, led by Berlin, opposed a term that has not yet been clearly defined, five European diplomats told Euronews.
“The main concern is that this is unfamiliar terminology, which could give rise to legal insecurity and expectations from other third countries,” said one of the diplomats. “This has not been communicated before by the Commission. We do not know what we are talking about.”
Last week, a revised draft joint declaration explicitly mentioned this notion, promising regular exchanges with Canadian authorities on key policy and regulatory initiatives and to define the full scope of the partnership at the 2027 summit.
Naming the term in what would be the first official EU document of major political importance to include it has sparked strong reluctance from Germany, Italy and Greece, as well as skepticism from other countries, including France.
A new draft released Monday evening added wording that distanced member states from the concept, specifying that it had been “proposed by the European Commission.”
The text was to be adopted on Tuesday under the so-called silent procedure, according to which a document is adopted unless a member state objects. Germany, Italy, France and Greece all raised objections before the deadline.
European Council President António Costa’s office is now expected to release a new version, with a new round of ambassador-level talks on Wednesday, before the summit opens in Montreal on Thursday.
Von der Leyen floated the idea of offering associate membership to Canada in his annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in September, with Prime Minister Mark Carney as guest of honor.
The idea had already been submitted to Canadians, but it was never discussed with member states or within the Commission, catching capitals including Paris and Berlin by surprise.
Even Carney didn’t seem entirely convinced by this nomenclature, preferring to call it the “alliance of the future.” “What matters is the substance,” he replied when asked if he was comfortable with the term.
As governments finalize the joint declaration, which will be adopted at the summit on Thursday and Friday, the initial lack of consultation is coming back to haunt the bid.
For Berlin, the main problem is that member states must first define the content of the cooperation package and then agree on the terms of the declaration, not the other way around.
There is broad consensus on seeking closer cooperation with Canada in areas such as defense, critical raw materials, energy, trade and border security. It was the associate member label that attracted attention.
Others have attacked its legal implications, arguing that they must be carefully considered before the term enters into a political statement.
“It doesn’t mean anything, it’s not in the treaties,” said a second EU diplomat, adding that “we want to find a way to make this concept work.”
Von der Leyen is not new to launching new ideas and moving forward with initiatives without consulting member states. In 2023, it announced a migration agreement with Tunisia and was criticized for its lack of a formal mandate to do so.
“In the case of Tunisia, the member states fully agreed with the objective of reducing arrivals, but they had to say that they did not agree 100% with the way in which it was done. It’s a bit the same case here,” a third diplomat told Euronews.
For this diplomat, the EU should view the label not as merely institutional, but as a way of presenting what would otherwise inevitably look like a sector-by-sector technical exercise aimed at moving Canada closer to the bloc.
For von der Leyen’s critics, she has a habit of making big announcements before understanding the implications. For his supporters, his strength is in staying ahead of the curve, defining a political vision and letting the bureaucratic machine do the rest.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was the first to propose associate membership, but he presented it as a way to anchor Ukraine in the EU, with security guarantees, as kyiv moved forward in the accession process.
Applying it to Canada has a very different connotation: it would offer the closest possible partnership model with a non-European country that could never join the bloc.
“Many other countries want to get closer to the EU, but we don’t know what to offer them. Whatever deal we make with Canada could be an important motivator for others,” a European official told Euronews.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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