European officials downplayed the possibility of a major announcement on Canada's new relationship with the EU while speaking to reporters earlier this week, noting that much will be sorted in the coming months. For decades, Canada-EU summits took place without much fanfare, but that is not the case for this year's meeting in the Canadian city.
While there is broad support for closer ties, the concept of associate membership is something that is not clearly understood as it pertains to Canada. A senior Canadian official who was granted anonymity to speak to reporters at a briefing ahead of the summit noted that the wording is emblematic of the ambition.
Carney and many EU member states welcome closer ties, but disagreement remains over what to call the new relationship. Germany and other nations successfully lobbied to remove mention of the title in a draft statement ahead of the summit, opting instead for softer language that references an ever closer association.
The ongoing two-day Canada-EU summit features a proposed partnership that brings Canada closer to the bloc than previous agreements. European leaders have described the framework as a model that would be open only to the closest partners outside of Europe who are ready to open a new frontier together.
Germany has been using the term of associate membership for something completely different, which is the relationship of the EU to Ukraine and potentially Moldova. Both Ukraine and Moldova have been trying to join the bloc for many years.
Canadian officials have also confirmed that Canada does not plan on paying a membership fee similar to other EU nations.