Getty Images James Gregory 17 September 2026 Updated 23 minutes ago Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed the European Union's ambition to make his country the first associate member of the bloc – but what would that mean in practice?

Carney says he is seeking a "unique" relationship with the EU, in an apparent reference to the fact that EU treaties do not currently provide for associate membership.

Germany had proposed Ukrainian associate membership earlier this year but Kyiv rejected the idea, saying it only wanted full EU integration. The EU itself also seemed reluctant.

The bloc has since walked back from the term, opting instead for softer language that calls for an "ever closer association" to Canada. Carney, meanwhile, has said that nomenclature does not matter.

The push for closer ties comes as both Canada and the EU look to reposition themselves amid worries of an uncertain geopolitical future.

At the her State of the Union address in September, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen listed several key areas for cooperation with Canada, although she did not give specific details about how the new relationship status would work.

What Carney says about EU associate membership Carney told reporters that Canada was "not in a position, nor seeking, to become a full member of the European Union".

He also said it was not an attempt to create a "third bloc", adding: "We do not seek power to dominate others." He told the European Parliament in September that closer alignment between Ottawa and the EU was needed to confront the "current geopolitical rupture" – nodding to strained relations with the US following President Donald Trump's tariff policy and the collapse of trade talks between the two countries. Carney also set out what he views as key areas where his country and the EU can cooperate, including:

critical minerals defence industrial capacity energy security the space sector The prime minister added that he wanted to move towards membership of the EU's Erasmus Plus scheme – the funding programme which allows students to work and study abroad. All 27 EU states are members and there are seven non-EU members. The UK will rejoin the scheme in 2027.

He said Canada could contribute liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen "at large scale to support Europe's energy security" and that Canada in turn could benefit from what he described as Europe's leadership on clean energy technologies. What could associate membership look like? So we know what it is not – full membership of the EU.

It is not clear is what exactly the relationship would look like. EU associate membership does not currently exist and the process to create it could take years. European officials said that details of a new agreement with Canada would not be solidified until next year.

If associate status were enshrined in EU treaties, it would require unanimity and ratification among all 27 member states.

Canada, for its part, has said that it envisions a future where there are deeper business ties between itself and the EU, and opportunities for students to travel and study more freely on both sides of the Atlantic.

Officials said they don't see Canada paying an EU membership fee, but do see it participating in some of the bloc's programmes if its of benefit to both Canada and member states.

Despite von der Leyen's overtures towards Canada, some EU countries would prefer to build on existing defence and trade agreements rather than create a new form of membership.

The EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner and the far-reaching Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was agreed more than a decade ago, though several of the bloc's 27 members are yet to ratify that agreement. The current trade deal does not remove border checks. Would associate membership change that?

It also remains to be seen what associate membership would mean for Canada's relationship with the European single market.

Were Canada to one day join the single market, it would have to match EU regulations and standards while having no say on policy – in a similar way to European Economic Area countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, or Switzerland, which has a separate deal. Canada's rules have historically been geared towards its biggest trade partner, the US. And then there's the matter of other countries seeking to join the bloc.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are already on the long road towards full EU membership, while in Eastern Europe, Georgia and Moldova are also pursuing membership.

There is no suggestion that a new relationship with Canada would hinder these countries' progress towards full accession, but any impression that Ottawa was being given special treatment could create tension.

There is also the question of Trump's response. He has described the prospect of Canada's associate membership as "laughable" and has threatened further tariffs on the EU if the plan goes ahead.