European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed that Canada become the first associated member of the European Union.
She reported this on September 16 in her annual State of the Union address during a plenary session of the European Parliament.
She noted that over the past 10 years, trade between the EU and Canada has increased by 75%.
“We see the world the same way – from artificial intelligence to climate change, from the Arctic to geopolitics. And we stood together for Ukraine, defense, critical raw materials and supply chains. But above all, dear Mark, Europe and Canada believe in democracy. We believe that power does not belong to the strongest, the richest or the loudest, but to all of us. Democracies have the freedom to choose who to work with,” von der Leyen noted.
She announced that the countries will move from CETA to the “Alliance for the Future”. The EU and Canada will expand cooperation in the areas of technology, defense, energy, mining of critical minerals, battery production, AI development, quantum technologies and cybersecurity. A key joint project will be the Arctic.
- This statement came against the backdrop of Canadaʼs trade conflict with the United States. In early September, Donald Trump imposed new tariffs and import restrictions, following fruitless trade talks.
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