EU Opens Path for Canada to Become First Associate Member
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is opening the door for Canada to become its first associate member.
The European Union is opening the door for Canada to become its first associate member, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, describing a status that does not currently exist under the bloc's treaties.
Speaking in Strasbourg during her annual State of the European Union address, von der Leyen framed partnerships as a strategic choice for Europe, adding that they also answer what she described as a fracture in the international rules-based system.
She said Europe and Canada share a common outlook across a range of areas, from artificial intelligence and climate change to the Arctic and wider geopolitics.
Von der Leyen also pointed to cooperation on Ukraine, defence, raw materials and supply chains, and said that above all, both sides believe in democracy.
The proposal would create a new category of partnership for the EU, whose treaties currently make no provision for associate membership. No timeline or further details of the arrangement were set out in her remarks.