EU-Canada Summit: Canada will not become an associated EU member for the time being
Chancellor Merz and other heads of government are slowing down von der Leyen's Canada plans. Several EU countries have watered down their commitments to a closer connection with the country - shortly before the summit.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for Canada to become an associated EU member has been put on hold. Diplomats report that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other EU leaders ensured that terms like "associated membership" were removed from the draft declaration for the EU-Canada summit starting Thursday.
Instead, EU countries agreed to develop a concept for a "closer and closer connection of Canada to the EU" by next year's summit. The declaration was adopted by EU states in a written procedure on Wednesday and will be published on Friday. The summit in Montreal, attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and EU Council President António Costa, aimed to advance EU-Canada relations.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
