Canada is expected to conclude negotiations to become the European Union’s first “associate member” in June, Prime Minister Mark Carney has said, as Ottawa and Brussels seek closer economic and security ties.
Carney made the announcement at the end of a two-day summit in Montreal, where he joined European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa in launching an “Alliance for the Future”.
The proposed relationship comes as US President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats against traditional allies have encouraged Canada and European countries to reduce their reliance on Washington.
“What brings us together goes far beyond geography. We see the world through the same eyes,” Ms von der Leyen said. “These headwinds won’t stop blowing. This change is permanent.”
Carney said closer ties would help Canada and Europe withstand economic pressure and make decisions independently rather than having them dictated by more powerful countries.
Trump has suggested that Canada’s proposed arrangement with the EU could be a “hostile act” and threatened tariffs on Europe if he regarded it as unfriendly.
Asked whether the US president could eventually be invited to join the alliance, Carney did not answer directly. He said the initiative was intended to reinforce sovereignty rather than target another country.
“It is about reinforcing sovereignty. Why? So we can live our lives as we choose, our people can live their lives as they choose and have the full freedoms that people enjoy in the European Union and in Canada,” he said.
“It’s not against anything, it’s for,” the Canadian prime minister added.
Canada and EU set out closer association
Despite the prominence given to associate membership by Carney and Ms von der Leyen, the joint declaration issued after the summit did not use the term. Instead, the leaders agreed to define an “ever-closer association” by their next summit in 2027.
Carney said Canadian cabinet ministers and European commissioners would meet in March, before he attends European Council meetings in June, when he intends to conclude negotiations on the proposed relationship. Mr Costa confirmed the invitation and said more details would be announced at that stage.
Ms von der Leyen said there was broad support for bringing Canada closer to the EU, even though there was disagreement over the precise description of the relationship.
“On one thing I’m absolutely sure, having spoken about it in the last weeks, is the broad support of having Canada much, much closer to the European Union,” she said.
Mr Costa said the relationship would be unlike any previous EU partnership with a country outside the bloc.
“Our relationship is so special that we want to create something new: to go beyond a simple association, everything short of full EU membership,” he said.
Canada and the EU already have a free-trade agreement which has removed most tariffs. At the Montreal summit, they also concluded negotiations on a digital trade agreement designed to make it easier for companies to sell across the Atlantic.
The two sides reached an agreement allowing the European Investment Bank to finance Canadian critical minerals projects, potentially creating a new source of investment for Canada’s mining industry.
Canada will also join a European supercomputing initiative. Carney said Europe’s JUPITER supercomputer could carry out in one day calculations that would take six months on Canada’s most powerful research computer.
“A tech startup in Vancouver will have a smoother path to customers in Berlin,” he said. “Bottom line: less red tape, more growth, more opportunity.”
Negotiations were also concluded on a competition agreement intended to curb anti-competitive practices and lower prices for consumers. Canada and the EU will explore linking their instant-payment systems to make cross-border transfers faster and cheaper.
Alliance to cover energy, security and education
The Alliance for the Future could eventually expand to include other like-minded countries, with Canada and the EU at its core.
The leaders agreed to examine the feasibility of exporting Canadian liquefied natural gas to Europe and to explore new undersea cables linking Canada, Europe and Asia.
They will begin negotiations on expanding Canadian participation in Erasmus+, the European student exchange programme, and will consider ways to make it easier for young people to study and work on both sides of the Atlantic.
A new border security arrangement was also agreed, alongside pledges to co-operate more closely on defence, cyber security, Arctic security and countering foreign interference.
The United States accounted for 71.7 per cent of Canada’s merchandise exports in 2025. Carney has said he wants to double Canada’s exports to other countries over the next decade.
