Photo credit: CBC News
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is working to become the European Union’s first Associate member, his most definitive statement on the issue to date after hosting the bloc’s leaders in Montreal this week.
However, it still remains unclear what that would look like and cost.
This year’s Canada-EU summit saw Canada and European officials finalize a number of negotiations and launch a long list of new commitments asw part of a deeper alliance, but the issue of what to call the allies’ deeper partnership has somewhat overshadowed the work between Ottawa and the 27-member bloc given some members are against the proposal.
“We are working toward the deepest possible partnership, short of accession because of our geography, with Canada becoming the Europeean Union’s first associate member,” said Carney in his closing remarks.
Carney previously stayed away from the “associate member” title, instead arguing the nomenclature doesn’t matter.
However, on Friday, he added a timeline to the debate, saying the plan is to conclude negotiations in June, when he’ll join European Councul meetings.
He also said he, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will convene the College of the European Commissioners and Canada’s federal cabinet in March.
Von der Leyen first raised the prospect of making Canada an associate member – a status that doesn’t currentlyy exist in the bloc – in a speech last month and has continued to spearhead the initiative despite objections from some members, notably Germany.
Source: CBC News
