The European Commission has declared it will continue pursuing 'associate membership' status for Canada, brushing aside objections raised by a group of EU member states led by Germany. Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho addressed the issue at a daily press briefing ahead of the EU-Canada Summit scheduled for 29-30 October in Montreal.
Pinho confirmed that bringing Canada closer to the EU is one of the summit's top priorities. The announcement comes after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media upon arriving in Montreal that the EU has a new goal: to bring Canada closer to the Union as an associate member.
Explaining the concept, Pinho noted that associate membership falls short of full membership but signifies an ever-deepening relationship between Canada and the EU. "This week's summit will be the first meaningful opportunity to develop this concept and the 'Alliance for the Future' initiative with our partners," she said, adding that both sides aim to strengthen prosperity, resilience, security and sovereignty through this mutually beneficial partnership at a time of growing global uncertainty.
Before the summit, it had emerged that Germany, France, Italy and Greece, among others, had objected to the inclusion of the term 'associate membership' in the joint summit declaration. Several member states also noted that the Commission President had not consulted national capitals before floating the idea publicly.
Despite these objections, Pinho maintained that there is full alignment with member states on the overall approach and the goal of deepening ties with Canada. "As foreseen in the summit text, we continue to work intensively with our member states on the framework for associate membership," she said, adding that discussions would continue after the summit with the European Parliament, member states and Canadian counterparts.
