Canada May Become First Associate Member of the European Union

Canada may become the first associate member of the EU – this initiative was made in the European Parliament by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

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- We urgently need to rethink our partnerships. So I would like to work with you to open the door to Canada as the first associate member of the EU, von der Leyen told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Von der Leyen noted that the EU and Canada have similar views on many issues, from technology and climate to the Arctic and geopolitics. According to her, the parties cooperated on defense, raw materials and supply chains. However, the decision on the proposal of the head of the European Commission remains with the EU member states.

Carney said Canada wanted a "unique alliance" with the EU, not membership. Detailed discussions on cooperation will begin at the Canada-EU summit in Montreal in late October.

- We will work on intellectual production, create a technological alliance, integrate defense-industrial bases, make the Arctic a flagship joint project, she added.