Germany is open to “new models of partnership” but says the label needs more thought
Stefan KorneliusSpokesperson for the German federal government
A spokesperson for the German government said Germany is open to discussing new models of partnership with Canada, but that the “associate member” label itself warrants further thought.
“Canada is an especially close partner for Europe. That is why we are open to discussing new models of partnership. … I think we should give that some more thought.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Canada become an associate member of the European Union?
In her State of the European Union address on 16 September 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would like to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union, as part of moving beyond the existing CETA trade agreement to what she called an Alliance for the Future. Carney, present as an invited guest, told the European Parliament the following day that Canada welcomes the ambition, while attributing the associate-member phrase to von der Leyen rather than adopting it, and promised debates and a vote in the Canadian Parliament on the final structure. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre set red lines against Canadians paying taxes to Brussels, following European laws they did not vote on, or adopting European immigration policy. United States President Donald Trump said that if he judged the arrangement a hostile act he would impose heavy tariffs on Europe or curtail trade. No agreement has been signed, and associate membership is not a status defined in the European Union's treaties.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports that four European diplomats said their governments were not informed before the announcement, and carries the German government’s first public response. The article carries a correction note dated September 17. Any arrangement of this kind would require unanimity in the Council, which makes a single member state’s reservation material.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Given after reporting that several member-state governments were not told of the proposal before the address; Politico cited four European diplomats saying their governments were not informed.
After the quotation
This is the first member-state government reservation recorded in this case. No member state has threatened a veto. Reuters separately reported three diplomats saying they were surprised by the announcement.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to whether Canada should become an associate member of the European Union, Germany separates the substance from the designation: it welcomes closer partnership while withholding endorsement of associate membership as the form it should take. That is a genuine split rather than a hedge, and it matters disproportionately because any arrangement of this kind requires unanimity in the Council, so a single member state’s reservation is a live constraint. A Condemned label would overstate a government that has expressly said it is open to the underlying project.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Ursula von der Leyen
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Stefan Kornelius
- Previous language
- This statement was dated September 17, 2026.
- Corrected language
- This statement is dated September 16, 2026.
We dated the remarks of German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius to September 17. The Politico Europe report we cite was published on September 16 and says he spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, which was September 16. We corrected the date of the statement and the publication date of the cited report. The quoted words and the classification are unchanged.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Reports that four European diplomats said their governments were not informed before the announcement, and carries the German government’s first public response. The article carries a correction note dated September 17. Any arrangement of this kind would require unanimity in the Council, which makes a single member state’s reservation material.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)More from this case
Read the full caseFrançois-Philippe Champagne tells the BBC the Canada–EU proposal is “about the substance, to build an alliance of the future”
“This is all about the substance, to build an alliance of the future. The world has changed. America has changed. So we need to change. We need to look at partnership in a different way, and the great thing is that when you look at Canada, and I would say the United Kingdom, we share the same values. We are very aligned in our vision of the world. Why don't we team up? We are independent and sovereign, but we are stronger together.”Read statement
European Council President António Costa says associate membership means the EU wants to do more with Canada
“This concept means basically that we want to do more and act as much as possible with Canada”Read statement
Poilievre says Canada will “never be the 28th state” of the European Union
“never be the 28th state … reckless European-style immigration”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Germany is open to “new models of partnership” but says the label needs more thought
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1102-a-spokesperson-for-the-german-government-said-germany
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Germany is open to “new models of partnership” but says the label needs more thought". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1102-a-spokesperson-for-the-german-government-said-germany