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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has detailed the "associate membership" model she is pressing for with Canada, telling an audience in Montreal that the arrangement would also be open to the European Union's closest partners outside Europe.

Speaking at the C.D. Howe Institute ahead of the EU-Canada summit in Montreal, von der Leyen said the two sides want to take their relationship to the highest possible level, and that Canada could become the EU's first associate member.

Commission continues work on the proposal

The Commission has said work on the proposal will continue despite the objections. Chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said the Commission keeps working intensively with member states on the framework needed for associate membership.

After arriving in Montreal, von der Leyen repeated in a social media post the goal of bringing Canada closer to the Union than ever before as an associate member of the EU.

Key takeaways

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Canada could become the EU's first "associate member," a partnership without full membership.
• The model rests on three forms of alignment: policy, governance and shared programmes, including deeper ties to Erasmus and Horizon Europe.
• Germany, Italy, Greece and France are among the member states opposing the term in the summit's joint declaration, saying they were not consulted.
• The Commission says it will keep working with member states on the framework, while a reported draft uses "a closer partnership" instead.