Canada's new relationship with EU will be 'closer to membership' than ever, senior officials say

European Union officials say the details and exact title of Canada's possible associate EU membership are still being internally debated — but the 27 countries are united in wanting the "closest possible association" with Canada.

Canada will host the EU at a summit in Montreal this week where the two sides are expected to announce new agreements on a number of key areas of co-operation, including trade, security and technology.

This year's meeting will be one of the "most important summits the European Union has ever held," one senior EU official said, speaking on background during a press briefing Tuesday morning in Brussels.

"It's building a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we've ever done before."

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However, the process is just getting started, officials stressed.

"This is uncharted territory. This is also the work that will need to be done between now and the next summit," they said, which is expected to be held in 2027.

The officials acknowledged some member states have questions about what Canada's new role will actually mean.

"There is no questioning from the member state side on their ambition for this relationship," an official said.

Carney says summit launches year of talks

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen surprised many last month when she announced the EU would begin the process of making Canada its first "associate member," a status that does not exist within the bloc.

Prime Minister Mark Carney responded the next day during a speech to the European Parliament that Canada welcomed "the ambition" of associate membership, later telling reporters it was the substance of the relationship that mattered more than the name itself.

Speaking on Tuesday in Ottawa on his way into a cabinet meeting, Carney reiterated that stance, saying the two-day summit that begins Thursday would be the launch of formal discussions and negotiations over the next year.

WATCH | Carney speaks about the upcoming EU-Canada summit:

"The good news is it doesn't matter about specific names or nomenclature," Carney said.

"What matters is the difference that it will make to the lives of Canadians … and Canada as a whole becoming a more independent, more sovereign nation, so we can live our lives as we choose."

Associate membership would be unique to Canada

There are many unanswered questions about what associate membership would require from Canada and what it would mean for the other European countries that have spent years trying to join the EU.

Officials said Tuesday this type of associate membership would be specific to Canada.

"We're embarking on the start of a journey, so let's not already now determine exactly how far we go," they said.

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Officials would not say whether other countries had approached the EU looking to form a similar relationship as Canada's.

Carney has repeatedly stated that Canada is not seeking full EU membership, and often refers to the enhanced partnership as a "strategic alliance."

The prime minister has been aggressively seeking out stronger diplomatic and trade ties with other countries, including in Europe, as relations between the U.S. and Canada continue to suffer under the trade war, with U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating tariffs and ongoing threats to annex Canada.