EU backs away from offer to Canada to start ‘associate member’ talks
The European Union has scaled back plans to offer Canada 'associate member' status following internal disagreements among member states. Instead, the upcoming summit will focus on defining a concept of 'ever closer association' short of full membership.
Why it matters
This shift highlights the political complexities within the EU regarding expanding its influence and formalizing ties with non-member nations.
Mark Carney and the European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, in Strasbourg last month. Photograph: Ahmet Sel/Anadolu/Getty Images Mark Carney and the European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, in Strasbourg last month. Photograph: Ahmet Sel/Anadolu/Getty Images European Union EU backs away from offer to Canada to start ‘associate member’ talks Watered-down version of statement to be issued at end of Montreal summit instead offers ‘ever closer association’
Prefer the Guardian on Google The EU has backed away from its offer to Canada to start talks on becoming an “associate member” after disagreements between members states just as an EU-Canada summit was set to begin in Montreal.
A draft of a joint statement to be issued after the end of the summit, which runs Thursday and Friday, showed a watered-down version offering “an ever closer association of Canada to the EU, short of full membership itself”.
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