The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has told the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, that she wants to open the door for his country to become the EU’s first associate member.
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The overture comes after Ottawa was pushed to seek closer economic and security ties with Europe by tariffs levelled by the US president, Donald Trump, and his repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state.
‘I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the EU,’ von der Leyen told Carney during her annual state of the European Union address
European Union opens door for Canada to become first associate member ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/16/von-der-leyen-mark-carney-canada-eu-first-associate-member?CMP=yt_gnews
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