The European Union withdrew from the proposal to grant Canada the status of "associate member" in the bloc, after objections from Germany and several member states, according to what the German news agency (DPA) reported from diplomatic sources, before publishing a joint statement at the end of the European-Canadian summit in Montreal.
The agency reported that the phrases "associate member" and "partner member" were deleted from the draft statement, following pressure exerted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a number of European Union leaders, who objected to the ambiguity of the proposed status and the failure of the European Commission to conduct sufficient consultations with the member states.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called last September to make Canada the first associate member of the Union, despite the lack of this status in its current framework.
Instead of partner membership, the draft declaration calls for a "closer partnership than ever" between the two sides, easing obligations on financial market integration and mutual preferential treatment in economic security measures.
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