Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 10:12am on 16 Sep 2026,Wednesday International
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has backed proposals for Canada to become the European Union’s first “associate member”, calling for closer cooperation between the two sides. Speaking in Strasbourg on Wednesday, von der Leyen said she wanted to “open the door” to Canada and deepen ties in areas including defence, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, cyber security and supply chains. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended the speech, has recently called for a “unique alliance” with the EU as trade tensions with the US continue. Von der Leyen said closer EU-Canada ties would strengthen Europe and were not aimed against any country. (PC: BBC)
