EU seeks 'highest level' ties with Canada in Montreal summit

European Union and Canadian leaders met on Thursday during a summit in Montreal, at a special Canada-EU summit to discuss critical policies like artificial inteligence (AI), climate, energy and ⁠security. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will continue to explore Canada's prospects for becoming the bloc's first "associate member." But despite her comments, the summit's declaration is expected to exclude the term "associate member," a move pushed by Germany and other members. "Our idea is simple: it is an association without accession," Von der Leyen clarified. "We can build a partnership that comes closer to membership than anything we have done before.