Mark Carney has set June 2027 as the deadline to make Canada the European Union’s first-ever “associate member”. The category, which has no precedent, has been fiercely opposed by Germany.
https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/30/canada-aims-to-become-eus-first-associate-member-by-june-2027-carney-says


I don’t know Germany’s motivations, but the “associate member” thing was meaningless on one hand, and an insult to the EU’s relationship with the EFTA countries in the other.