EU, Canada deepen ties after leaders drop 'associate member' label
What's next: Both sides plan to define the relationship by the next Canada-EU summit as Ottawa seeks to cut reliance on the US.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen kept pushing the idea of Canada as the EU's first "associate member" at a summit in Montreal, even after EU governments blocked the label from a joint declaration. Instead, the statement commits both sides to an "ever closer association" and to keep working on the framework until the next summit. Prime Minister Mark Carney played down the wording dispute, arguing the substance matters more than the name. Leaders pointed to cooperation on AI, climate, energy, security, education, science and defense as Canada tries to diversify away from the United States after tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.