Formal discussions about Canada's 'closer association' to start this week The European Union has a number of partnership deals with non-member countries, but Canada won't fit into any of those existing frameworks. A joint statement expected to be released at the 21st Canada-EU summit in Montreal on Friday will promise closer ties — though no one knows exactly what that means yet.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last month that the EU would begin the process of making Canada its first "associate member."

But on Wednesday, sources told CBC News that term has been removed from the draft statement in favour of calls for an "ever-closer association," adding that some EU countries opposed the "associate member" tag. Prime Minister Mark Carney had preferred to call it by different terms from the start, like "an alliance for the future."

The sources stressed the statement was still a draft and could change before week's end. A senior EU official said Tuesday that the bloc's 27 countries were united in wanting the "closest possible association" with Canada.

Experts say Canada wants greater access to European markets without giving up its independence or subjecting itself to EU regulations, which puts it in a unique position to negotiate a new type of deal.

What do other partnerships look like? The Schengen Area, which includes 25 of the 27 EU countries as well as four countries outside of the EU — Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein — is the world's largest border-free travel zone.

Within that is the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), made up of the four non-EU countries, offering them close economic ties with the EU without sacrificing their autonomy or, on the flip side, giving them decision-making power within the EU.

Non-EU countries Monaco, Andorra, Turkey and San Marino are part of the EU Customs Union, meanwhile, which removes internal tariffs and trade barriers between member countries while applying a single common tariff to goods imported from outside the bloc, but gives member countries less individual freedom than the EFTA.

Canada's new relationship with EU will be 'closer to membership' than ever, senior officials say What we know about the proposed partnership between Canada and the EU There are several reasons why agreements like these are not a great fit for Canada, says Florian Gassner with the University of British Columbia's department of Central, Eastern and Northern European studies.

"To put it in one phrase, the Canadian economy is too large and integrated into global markets to be rebuilt in the short term to fit into these existing agreements," Gassner told CBC News. A senior Canadian official previously told CBC News they did a deep analysis of the EU's other relationships with non-members in Europe and said they wouldn't work because the Canadian government does not want to give up independence in return for access. Gassner says Canada is likely angling to get privileged access to the European market, without having to make any amendments to its own constitution.

Versions of an associate-type membership have been floated over the years, including a recent proposal for Ukraine that did not gain traction.

'Push and pull'

When considering these partnerships, Gassner says countries have to look at a "fundamental push and pull" between enfranchisement and regulation.

He says joining was costly and controversial for Romania, for example, because EU rules meant the country had to upend its traditional farming practices. Bulgaria, meanwhile, "lost control" over its Black Sea Coast when European corporations got to buy up coastal properties and build out the country's tourism industry.

The United Kingdom famously withdrew from the EU in 2020 following a referendum, amid various economic and political concerns. Canada needs concrete results from EU summit this week, former envoy says PQ accuses Ottawa of muzzling Quebec during upcoming Canada-EU summit "On the one hand, access to the European Union is phenomenal because you're not only selling your products there but you can import stuff more cheaply and you have mobility for workers," he said.

"But it always means that you need to — in some cases, fundamentally — rebuild your economy."

He says the EFTA has been beneficial to Switzerland, for example, because the country has a "huge need" for health-care workers and the agreement allows EU-trained doctors to easily come work there. Canada's cautions Labour mobility has been part of the discussions around Canada's partnership, as well as student exchange programs. But Gassner says Canada is likely cautious about border protection as it tries to balance its own immigration policy, adding it may not be "politically acceptable" to promote freedom of travel amid an influx of refugees to European countries. There are also clear economic concerns, he says, like the import of highly subsidized European dairy products that would "ruin" the Canadian market.

"Probably that is what Canada is primarily defending against — not to have the market flooded with cheap, subsidized European goods," he said.

Gassner says Iceland is a touchstone for what Canada might encounter in the process of working out its membership.

In August, the EFTA-member country voted against initiating full accession to the EU, in part to retain full control over its fishing zones.

'Good feelings'

Experts say it's too early to speculate in detail about what Canada's partnership will look like. But Nelson Wiseman, political science professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, says it will likely include defence as well as trade. He says Canada still has major differences with the EU — highlighted by Carney's more aggressive response to U.S. tariffs, for example — and a full EU membership would mean the EU would negotiate with the U.S. on Canada's behalf, which would not fly here.

"All they know is there are good feelings between them," Wiseman said of Canada and the EU.

"They both want to diversify away from the U.S. They both don't want to come under China's thumb.

And they think that there's a better chance for both of them to do well by co-operating."

With files from Catharine Tunney, John Mazerolle and Marina von Stackelberg