OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Canada-EU Summit this week in Montreal will serve to launch more formal negotiations on a deeper partnership over the next year.
Carney will meet with European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU officials on Thursday and Friday in Montreal, where they are expected to announce the next stage of an enhanced alliance.
The Europeans have proposed making Canada an “associate member” of the bloc, while the Canadian side has downplayed that characterization.
Carney says the title matters much less than the prospect of an EU-Canada accord opening up commercial, educational and travel opportunities for Canadians in Europe.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Ambassador to the EU, says the two sides aren’t currently looking at any sweeping labour mobility pact.
Canada is also in talks to join Erasmus+, the EU’s foreign exchange program that offers study and training opportunities to students in member nations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2026.
