European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the European Union and Canada continue to explore Canada becoming the bloc’s first “associate member,” a term so divisive among member countries that it does not appear in the joint declaration, according to Reuters, in a text published by the South China Morning Post.

In a speech at a Canada-EU summit in Montreal, von der Leyen said the two sides aim to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence, climate, energy and security. Deeper ties to Europe are part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s strategy to reduce reliance on the US amid strained relations under Trump, according to the newspaper. The term, which Germany and several other EU countries oppose, has no legal meaning.