EU chief von der Leyen proposes ‘associate member’ status for Canada
Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that Canada was seeking a 'unique alliance' with the European Union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has raised the prospect of Canada becoming the 27-nation European Union’s first “associate member”, a striking overture as both seek to pivot away from a hostile United States under President Donald Trump.
Von der Leyen’s statement on Wednesday came after Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that Canada was seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU, but not membership.
Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies are facing a “fracture in the international rules-based system”, Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.
She said that the EU and Canada would work together on sectors ranging from manufacturing to AI, critical minerals and energy.