Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-18 · by Lorne Cook The Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — By opening the door this week for Canada to become the first “associate member” of the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered Prime Minister Mark Carney hope, but also an illusion.
asserted
Leyen → open → hope
There are many ways to take steps toward joining the world’s biggest trade bloc, or to deepen trade or political ties with it, but associate membership isn’t one of them.
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membership → be → them
It simply does not exist.
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It → exist → ?
Still, no matter how vague, von der Leyen’s offer was a win for Carney, who is locked in a trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump.
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who → lock → Trump
It also offers the EU a firm partnership with another Western democracy as its own ties with and trust in its old ally the United States fade.
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ties → offer → ally
“In this new world, we must urgently reimagine our partnerships,” von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
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Leyen → reimagine → Wednesday
Then she did exactly that, saying to Carney: “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the EU.”
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Canada → do → EU
Did she mean Association Agreement?
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she → mean → Agreement
While “associate membership” is yet to be defined, Association Agreements do exist.
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Agreements → define → ?
More than 20 countries — ranging from Albania to Israel to Ukraine — already have them with the bloc.
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countries → range → bloc
These treaties govern relations on trade and security and are seen as an important step toward membership.
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treaties → govern → membership
It’s unclear how von der Leyen’s proposal of associate membership would differ, or whether Canada would have to agree to such a treaty first.
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Canada → ’ → treaty
Only EU member countries can rule on enlargement and treaties
Association Agreements and any other decisions over enlarging the EU and its formal relations with the outside world require the unanimous approval of all 27 EU member countries, and von der Leyen did not consult widely about her proposal of associate membership.
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Leyen → rule → membership
Getting all 27 countries behind the offer, especially one this vague, will pose a major challenge.
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Getting → get → challenge
Even among those who support stronger ties with Canada, there are concerns.
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who → support → Canada
German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said that Berlin welcomes the idea but that it has reservations — at least about the name the new relationship might be given.
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relationship → say → name
“We are open to discussing new partnership models,” he said after von der Leyen’s speech.
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he → discuss → speech
“But we should rethink the concept, the title that is connected with this.”
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that → rethink → this
In May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged the EU to consider offering associate membership to conflict-torn Ukraine to breathe new life into talks aimed at ending more than four years of war with Russia.
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Merz → urge → Russia
Ukraine is seeking full membership, nothing less.
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Ukraine → seek → membership
Helen McEntee, the foreign affairs and trade minister of Ireland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, meanwhile, said that her government was ready “to explore associate membership for Canada.”
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government → hold → Canada
David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, was more cautious, saying that the proposal’s “concrete terms now need careful assessment.”
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terms → say → assessment
Canada embraced the invitation
“We’re going to better define the broad lines of this new alliance,” he said at the European Parliament on Thursday.
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he → embrace → Thursday
He pointed to the EU-Canada summit in Montreal on Oct. 29-30 as a good place to start.
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He → point → place
“What matters is the substance.
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matters → matter → ?
What are we actually building together, how do we combine our strengths in a way that serves our people better, protects our fundamental rights and creates prosperity,” Carney said.
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Carney → build → prosperity
“Canada is not in a position, nor seeking, to become a full member of the European Union,” he said.
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he → seek → Union
The offer certainly grabbed Trump’s attention.
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offer → grab → attention
He suggested that allowing Canada to become an associate EU member could be a “hostile act” and threatened to respond by imposing more trade restrictions on the bloc.
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Canada → suggest → bloc
Trump said that if European leaders are acting out of “a good intention, that’s fine.
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that → say → intention
If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.”
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we → ’ → Europe
Carney insisted that Canada, through its overtures to the EU, is not seeking to create a bloc that would become “a great power rival, only with better manners.”
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that → insist → manners
Neither he nor von der Leyen mentioned Trump by name during their speeches.
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he → mention → speeches
For Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive at the European Policy Centre think tank, Trump’s response showed that the new EU-Canada partnership matters.
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partnership → show → tank
But Zuleeg agreed that the nuts and bolts of EU-Canada ties are far more important than its name.
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nuts → agree → name
“The label must now be filled with concrete substance, not remain another announcement,” he said.
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he → fill → substance
Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
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Moulson → contribute → report
The Aporia
