By Zoila Palma: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed that Canada become the European Union’s first “associate member,” as Ottawa seeks to strengthen economic and strategic ties with Europe amid growing trade tensions with the United States.
Von der Leyen made the proposal today during her State of the Union address in Strasbourg, France, which Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended.
Von der Leyen said the changing global environment requires countries to “urgently reimagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies.” She said the EU wants to take its relationship with Canada “to the highest level possible,” while emphasizing that closer cooperation would be “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.”
Carney has similarly called for a “unique alliance with the European Union” as Canada faces increasing pressure in its relationship with Washington.
According to CNN, the proposed arrangement could involve significantly expanded cooperation in trade, energy, technology and defense.
Discussions reportedly include reducing trade barriers, developing underwater cables between Europe and Canada, increasing European access to Canadian energy, expanding artificial intelligence and technology infrastructure, and potentially easing rules governing the movement of people. Von der Leyen also highlighted cooperation in intelligent manufacturing, cyber security, critical minerals, batteries and defense.
Canada cannot become a full EU member under the bloc’s existing rules because membership is reserved for European countries and requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states.
The concept of “associate membership” is also not currently an established EU status. Tinatin Akhvlediani, head of EU enlargement at the Center for European Policy Studies, noted that countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have association agreements with the EU, but these involve alignment with EU laws and do not amount to membership.
Germany has also questioned whether the term “associate member” is appropriate, while indicating openness to discussing new partnership models with Canada.
Canada and the EU already have a substantial trading relationship, with bilateral trade in goods and services reaching €130.8 billion last year, according to the European Commission.
The post International News: European Union proposes ‘Associate Membership’ for Canada as ties with US fray appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed that Canada become the European Union’s first “associate member,” as Ottawa seeks to strengthen economic and strategic ties with Europe amid growing trade tensions with the United States. Von der Leyen made the proposal today during her State of the Union address in
The post International News: European Union proposes ‘Associate Membership’ for Canada as ties with US fray appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.