MONTREAL — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he expects to conclude negotiations with the European Union in June on an unprecedented partnership that would make Canada the bloc's first "associate member," even though the designation was left out of a joint declaration launching a new economic and security alliance.
Carney said he would attend a meeting of European leaders in June to conclude negotiations on the proposed relationship, which would stop short of full EU membership.
“In parallel, we are working towards the deepest possible partnership, short of accession — with Canada becoming the European Union’s first Associate Member,” Carney said.
The joint declaration issued at the end of a two-day summit in Montreal made no mention of associate membership. 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 to advance negotiations before he attends European Council meetings in June.
Carney, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa launched the "Alliance for the Future," announcing progress on digital trade, European investment in Canadian critical minerals and artificial intelligence as Canada and Europe seek greater economic independence.
The two sides concluded substantive negotiations on a digital trade agreement intended to make it easier for businesses to operate across the Atlantic and move data between Canada and Europe.
Canada and the European Investment Bank also concluded negotiations on an agreement to encourage European investment in Canadian critical minerals, which are essential for industries ranging from electric vehicles to defense.
Canada will also participate in a European supercomputing initiative that Carney said could dramatically accelerate research. He said Europe’s JUPITER supercomputer could complete in one day calculations that would take Canada’s most powerful research computer six months.
Costa said the alliance would be the closest relationship the EU has ever established with a country outside the bloc, expanding cooperation on trade, research and security as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war strains relations with traditional allies.
“Canada is by far the most European of non-European countries,” Costa said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said shared values mattered more than geography in determining which countries should work together.
“It is not so important where the countries are on the map,” von der Leyen said. “What is important are the values that a country defends and where countries stand in international relations.”
Carney said the alliance would strengthen the sovereignty of Canada and Europe and help them withstand economic shocks.
“Above all, this is about sovereignty. Our ability to live our lives as we wish,” Carney said.
Von der Leyen has been pushing for Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member,” despite resistance from some European governments to the designation.
“We want Canada as close a partner as possible to the European Union,” von der Leyen said. “We know that Canada cannot be a full-fledged member of the European Union, but to have a relationship as close as possible, this is our goal.”
Carney said the digital trade agreement would make it easier for Canadian businesses to sell goods online in Europe. The two sides also concluded negotiations 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 money transfers faster and cheaper.
The broader Alliance for the Future could eventually include other like-minded countries, with Canada and the EU at its core.
The leaders also agreed to study the feasibility of exporting Canadian liquefied natural gas to Europe and explore new undersea cables connecting Canada, Europe and Asia.
Canada and the EU will begin negotiations on expanding Canadian participation in Erasmus+, the European student exchange program, and explore ways to make it easier for young people to study and work across the Atlantic.
The two sides also agreed on a new border security arrangement and pledged closer cooperation on defense, cybersecurity, Arctic security and countering foreign interference.
Trump has suggested Canada’s proposed EU arrangement could be a “hostile act” and threatened tariffs on Europe if he considered it unfriendly. The United States accounted for 71.7% of Canada’s merchandise exports in 2025, underscoring the challenge Carney faces as he seeks to double exports to other countries over the next decade.
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