Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (C), European Council President António Costa (L) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) arrive for a joint press conference following the Canada-European Union summit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on October 30, 2026. (Photo by Alexis Aubin / AFP via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Mark Carney and the European Union’s leadership say they are working toward establishing an “Alliance for the Future” between the two sides, while working toward Canada becoming the EU’s first associate member.
The announcement came at the close of the two-day Canada-EU summit beginning on Oct. 29 in Montreal, where Carney welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Von der Leyen told reporters at a joint press conference on Oct. 30 that associate membership will include closer links between Canada and the EU based on the three pillars of policies, programs, and governance.
“We want to shape more of our policies together, with much closer alignment,” she said. “We want to consult each other at all stages, so from inception to implementation.”
Alignment on policies would cover everything from artificial intelligence and climate policies to energy solutions and national security, she said.
The second rung in the three-pillar platform for associate membership would be for “Canada to participate more fully” in European Union programs. She pointed to Canada already being the first non-European country to join the EU’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defence procurement program as an example of increased integration and said that would continue through research and education opportunities.
Cooperation in governance would mean bringing the two sides’ institutions “much closer together.” She said this could entail more government-level meetings, as well as further cooperation “parliament to parliament, or court to court,” as well as further business cooperation.
“Yes, the concept of an associate member is uncharted territory, but we have the ambition, trust, and creativity to shape it together, and to be crystal clear, this is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” she said. “Bilaterally, this is the highest form of partnership.”
Members of the European Parliament take part in a vote during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Oct. 20, 2026. Romeo Boetzle / AFP via Getty Images
Example Programs
Carney described the proposed alliance as a pact between “like-minded” regions that will act as the first step toward associate membership.
“We are working towards the deepest possible partnership, short of accession, because of our geography with Canada becoming the European Union’s first associate member,” Carney said. “In the coming months, we will determine the full substance, scale, and scope of this new form of membership.”
Carney said he and von der Leyen would meet “periodically to track progress” on Canada’s path toward associate membership. That will include a meeting in Canada between the College of the European Commissioners and Carney’s cabinet in March.
Carney said he has also accepted Costa’s invitation to attend the European Council meetings in June, where he said they intend to “conclude these negotiations and discussions.”
When asked by reporters about the potential cost of the new partnership, Carney said he doesn’t “view this as paying for something.”
“We view this as coming together. And as I said before, this is a positive association … creating a nucleus for the broader positive alliance for the future, which creates opportunity and pools resources for bigger returns.”
Carney said the proposed alliance means Canada and the EU will be working toward connecting Canada and the EU when it comes to some financial, education, and scientific research platforms.
As examples, he said Canada and the EU are planning to launch a Joint Working Group to explore opening their markets further to each other’s banks, insurers, and fintech companies, and are looking at ways to connect instant payment systems to enable Canadians to send money to people and businesses in the EU seamlessly.
As further examples, he said through the partnership, Canadians would have access to Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation funding program, and Europe’s Erasmus program, a university student exchange scheme that allows students to spend three to 12 months at a partner university with full academic credit and no extra tuition fees.
Carney also announced that Canada has joined the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking to give Canadian researchers access to JUPITER, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer and the fourth-fastest supercomputer in the world.
Carney described the alliance as a response to “the upheaval caused by climate change, the erosion of democratic norms, the weaponization of trade,” in an apparent reference to U.S. protectionist policies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he may impose tariffs on Europe if the granting of the associate membership is meant as a hostile act against the United States.
Carney said in response on Oct. 29 that a “more independent” Canada is also a better partner to the United States.
Von der Leyen said on Oct. 30 that the partnership with Canada is “not against anyone else, but for our common strength.”
Opposition to ‘Associate Membership’
The Oct. 30 announcement comes as some countries, led by Germany, have objected to the associate member terminology. EU countries including France, Italy, and Greece have questioned not only the specific terminology, but the diplomatic process behind such a membership.
European news agencies reported this week that the associate member language was to be taken off the table before the summit, but von der Leyen has stood behind the associate membership proposal, which she first suggested while addressing Europe’s parliament last month.
She told reporters on Oct. 30 that while a country outside Europe cannot join the European Union, “we can replace the term accession with a common ambition and vision.”
“We can build a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we’ve done before,” she said.
Conservatives say the summit and subsequent announcements are a distraction, noting that nine of the 27 countries in the EU have yet to ratify Canada’s decade-old trade deal with Europe.
The party also said in an Oct. 30 statement that Canadian exporters could face a “carbon tariff” once the EU begins to implement its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
“The federal government itself assessed that CBAM could impact up to $2.8 billion in Canadian exports,” the statement said. “Notably, steel and aluminum are not exempt: adding new stress on industries already struggling amid unjustified US tariffs and sluggish growth.”
The Tories have also said while they welcome free trade and defence cooperation via NATO with Europe, they want to ensure Canada doesn’t become subject to EU tax or immigration policies.