Carleton's Achim Hurrelmann doubts an associate-member status for Canada can be set up soon
Achim HurrelmannCo-director of the Centre for European Studies at Carleton University, interviewed by The Canadian Press
Hurrelmann said an associate-member status for Canada may be hard to negotiate in the short term because the EU moves slowly once its member states are involved. He said there is a case for an upgraded partnership status, possibly under a different label.
“I'm not sure if a status with that name can be established for Canada any time soon”
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
The Canadian Press report, published by CityNews Toronto on October 31, 2026, on Carney's timeline for negotiating a new partnership with the European Union, with comments from Carleton University's Achim Hurrelmann.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
After the Montreal summit, Carney said he will attend the European Council meetings in June, where the aim is to conclude negotiations. The joint statement commits both sides to define an ever-closer association of Canada to the EU by the 2027 summit, without using the associate-member term.
After the quotation
He said the language Canadian officials used that week was the strongest embrace of associate membership he had seen from the Canadian side, that member states will insist on being heard, and that there is a case for an upgraded partnership status, perhaps under a different label.
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, Hurrelmann sees a case for an upgraded partnership but doubts the associate-member status can be established soon and suggests a different label may be needed. That is a conditional assessment rather than support or opposition.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full casePoilievre says the summit cut no tariffs and warns against aligning Canada with European policies
“Worse, there was lots of talk at the summit about aligning Canada with the insane European taxes, debt, immigration and anti-oil and gas policies that have left parts of Europe bankrupt and burning.”Read statement
German ambassador says the two sides should give the associate-member label real content
“The president of the commission and the prime minister are using the term associated membership, so let's fill that name with life and see what it can be about. I think we should not be distracted by the label in question from the important content that has been agreed today”Read statement
Von der Leyen calls associate membership uncharted territory to shape together
“The concept of an associate member is uncharted territory, but we have the ambition, trust and creativity to shape it together”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
- Carleton's Achim Hurrelmann doubts an associate-member status for Canada can be set up soon
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/7543-hurrelmann-said-an-associate-member-status-for-canada
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Carleton's Achim Hurrelmann doubts an associate-member status for Canada can be set up soon". First published: 2026-10-31. Last updated: 2026-10-31. https://disputeindex.com/events/7543-hurrelmann-said-an-associate-member-status-for-canada