EU wants Canada as its first ‘associate member,’ von der Leyen says

CANADA EU wants Canada as its first ‘associate member,’ von der Leyen says By Uday Rana Global News Posted September 16, 2026 8:34 am 2 min read Prime Minister Mark Carney says he wants to form a "unique alliance" with the European Union, but what would that look like? Redmond Shannon explores what this potential partnership could mean for Canada. LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE The European Union wants Canada as its first “associate member” and to “urgently reimagine” their relationship, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her annual State of the Union address in France on Wednesday. “Dear Mark, I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen told Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was attending the speech. “We share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world. And we will now build our shared future as well – thank you for being here,” she said. “In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” she added. Von der Leyen said Canada and the EU have already increased their volume of trade by 75 per cent in less than a decade since the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT While the trade deal has been provisionally implemented, it isn’t yet fully ratified as some European Union member states still need to ratify the agreement in their individual legislatures. Get breaking Montreal news Get breaking Montreal news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. SIGN UP FOR BREAKING MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Slovenia are the states that haven’t yet ratified CETA. The European Union and Canada would move from CETA to an Alliance for the Future, von der Leyen said. “We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defence industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project. We will work on energy, critical minerals and batteries. On AI,…