EU and Canada launch "Alliance for the Future" at Montreal summit

The EU and Canada signed a digital trade deal and launched an "Alliance for the Future" at a Montreal summit, with Canada set to become the bloc's first "associate member", a status with no legal basis in EU treaties and contested by some member states. The joint statement redefines sovereignty as secure access to minerals, semiconductors, payment systems, AI and space communications, and Canada joins the EU's Ukraine loan. It shows the EU extending its strategic, economic and security reach beyond Europe, though the associate status remains undefined.