Carney hosts EU leaders as Trump pushes Canada toward Europe, but membership label faces resistance
Prime Minister Mark Carney called Canada “the most European of non-European countries” early in U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. Now, he’s hosting European leaders to pursue an unprecedented alliance, but the proposed EU “associate member” designation faces resistance even as the EU’s top official champions it.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will join Carney in Montreal on Thursday for a two-day summit aimed at deepening trade, defense and economic ties as Canada and Europe seek to reduce their dependence on Washington in a changing world order.
European Union officials who briefed reporters ahead of the summit said the proposed partnership could bring Canada closer to the bloc than any previous arrangement with a non-European country. But its structure and even its name remain unsettled, with some member states questioning the “associate member” designation proposed last month by von der Leyen.
Arriving in Montreal, von der Leyen showed no sign of abandoning the proposal, posting on social media that Europe wanted to bring Canada closer than ever before “as Associate Member of the EU.”
Anand Sundar, a special adviser at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said France and Germany are among the countries unhappy with the designation and that it may not survive the summit.
Carney said Tuesday the summit would launch further negotiations over the next year.
“It doesn’t matter about specific names or nomenclature,” Carney said. “What matters is the difference that it will make to lives of Canadians, young Canadians in terms of opportunities to study, work and travel, our Canadian businesses in terms of new opportunities, Canadian researchers in terms of depths of opportunity, and Canada as a whole becoming a more independent, more sovereign nation, so we can live our lives as we choose.”
Carney has ruled out formally joining the EU, which would require Canada to align its laws and regulations with the bloc’s. Canadian officials said Canada would not assume the EU’s membership-related budget obligations, although it could contribute to specific programs. Carney has said any enhanced partnership would face a vote in Canada’s Parliament.
The summit puts Carney’s vision for a new global order to the test. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, he warned that the U.S.-led international order was breaking down and urged middle powers to unite against economic coercion.
Trump has suggested Canada’s proposed EU arrangement could be a “hostile act” and threatened tariffs on Europe if he considered it unfriendly. Asked Wednesday about possible retaliation, a senior Canadian government official told reporters the closer relationship was not directed against the United States but reflected longstanding shared interests.
An alliance without membership
The summit is expected to launch an “Alliance for the Future,” a framework for closer cooperation on trade, defense, critical minerals, technology and research. Von der Leyen said the alliance would help Canada and Europe respond together to a world of growing rivalries.
The proposed relationship could include regular meetings between Canadian ministers and European commissioners and expanded opportunities for students through the EU’s Erasmus+ program, which supports international study and educational exchanges.
European commissioners and Canadian Cabinet ministers will hold sector-specific meetings, beginning with a business forum Thursday before formal leaders’ talks Friday. Officials hope to develop the broader partnership for possible endorsement in 2027.
