At the conclusion of the bilateral summit held in Montreal, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the intention to conclude negotiations with the European Union by June 2027 to define an unprecedented associate member status. According to broadcaster Euronews, the proposal aims to tighten ties between both sides of the Atlantic along three fundamental axes: common policies, EU programs, and shared governance models, without, however, providing for actual accession.

The project, launched in September by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has raised concerns among several European chancelleries. During preparatory negotiations, Germany opposed the use of the term associate member, resulting in the inclusion of the expression ever closer association in the final text of the joint declaration. European Council President António Costa also avoided the contested wording during the talks.

Despite the concerns raised at the diplomatic level, Carney and von der Leyen confirmed their willingness to continue along the negotiating path. The summit has already produced agreements to expand collaboration in digital trade, critical raw materials, energy, artificial intelligence, and Canadian access to European programs such as Horizon and Erasmus, in addition to confirming economic support destined for Ukraine.

A joint meeting between members of the Commission and the Canadian government is scheduled for next spring to specify the technical details of the agreement. Subsequently, the issue will be submitted to the heads of state and government of the European Union and the Canadian parliament for the relevant institutional assessments.