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Von der Leyen pitches 'associate member' status for Canada: What does it mean for EU-US ties?

Von der Leyen pitches 'associate member' status for Canada: What does it mean for EU-US ties?
France 24 Wednesday 16 September 2026, 14:55 UTC By FRANCE24 1 min read
Key Points

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the European Union's first "associate member". Earlier this week, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney — who was in Strasbourg to listen to von der Leyen's annual State of the Union address — said Canada was seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU, but not membership. We discuss this with our guest, Gerardo Fortuna, author of Brussels Playbook.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the European Union's first "associate member".Earlier this week, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney — who was in Strasbourg to listen to von der Leyen's annual State of the Union address — said Canada was seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU, but not membership. We discuss this with our guest, Gerardo Fortuna, author of Brussels Playbook. Keywords for this article
Leyen (PERSON) Canada (LOCATION) EU (ORG) US (LOCATION) European Commission (ORG) Ursula von der (PERSON) the European Union's (ORG) Mark Carney (PERSON) Strasbourg (LOCATION) State of the Union (ORG) Gerardo Fortuna (PERSON)
Originally published by France 24 Read original →

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