EU draft replaces Canada associate member label

The latest draft of an EU-Canada summit declaration replaces a proposal to call Canada an “associate member” with a plan to define an “ever closer association” by 2027, stopping short of full EU membership. The draft remains subject to approval by EU countries ahead of the summit in Montreal, scheduled to begin October 29. The change follows objections among EU member states to the associate-member label, which has no established definition in the bloc’s treaties. The draft text, circulated to member states, instead commits Canada and the EU to work out the meaning of closer association by their 2027 summit. It does not set out a detailed framework or grant Canada membership rights. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the EU’s first associate member in her September 16 State of the Union address. Earlier drafts of the joint declaration referred to Canada as an associate member and said the term would be defined later. The latest version removes those references. Germany led objections to the terminology, while France, Italy and Greece also raised concerns during discussions, according to reports on the draft. The debate included questions...