- BIST10011,722-2.89%
- USD49.45+0.05%
- EUR55.62+0.37%
- GOLD4,181.10+0.26%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN81,523+0.03%
- October 17, 202610°
- BIST10011,722-2.89%
- USD49.45+0.05%
- EUR55.62+0.37%
- GOLD4,181.10+0.26%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN81,523+0.03%
- October 17, 202610°
EU and Canada will discuss an associate membership model at October summit
European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill announced that the associate membership model proposed for Canada will be examined at the political level during the EU-Canada Summit scheduled to take place in Canada on October 29-30. The model’s legal and political framework, as well as whether it will include the free movement of people, has not yet been clarified.
The first major political assessment of an associate membership model that Canada could establish with the European Union will take place at the EU-Canada Summit scheduled to be held in Canada on October 29-30. European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said the proposal had not yet become a concrete legal or political model.
At the Commission’s daily press briefing, Gill explained European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal for Canada. Describing the opening of the door for Canada to become an “associate member” of the EU as “a big, bold and beautiful idea,” Gill said that what currently existed was an idea rather than a concrete model.
Technical work to be conducted ahead of the summit
Gill said talks between EU member states and Canadian officials were continuing, adding that the summit would be the first major opportunity to address the details of the proposal at the political level. Gill said, “We have an idea at the moment.”
According to Gill, technical work will be carried out before the summit to explore how the associate membership model could be implemented in concrete terms.
Model to be assessed separately from full membership
Gill said the associate membership proposed for Canada was not based on the same framework as full EU membership for European countries, stressing that a distinction needed to be made between the two models.
Under Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, any European state that respects the Union’s values and commits to promoting them may apply for full membership. Gill noted that the structure proposed for Canada was a different model to be applied to an “associate country.”
Gill said the proposal for Canada should therefore not be assessed within the same framework as the future relations that European countries such as the United Kingdom could establish with the EU, emphasizing that the model would be based on a separate structure.
Scope of free movement remains unclear
Gill said no decision had yet been made on whether Canada’s associate membership would include the free movement of people. Noting that comprehensive changes in the EU could not be implemented without the approval of member states, Gill said the work would continue in coordination with them.
European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podesta also said that the proposal had previously been discussed with member states on various occasions and was based on contacts with Canadian officials.
Stay Updated with Ally Daily
Subscribe to be informed about special news, developments and announcements. We will keep you informed.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
