Ursula von der Leyen
STRASBOURG, France — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Canada has been invited to become the first “associate member” of the EU. She announced the move to an audience including not only MEPs but also Canadian Prime Minister Carney, who attended her speech in the midst of a trade war with the US. Since late August, the Canadians have been pushing hard for the Europeans to build a closer relationship with them, though full EU membership is not an option as Canada is not a European state. …Several options already exist for countries that don’t have full membership. Norway is part of the single market, the EU’s borderless area of free movement of goods and collaborates on defence initiatives. Switzerland also has access to the single market and the UK and the EU have secured the largest and broadest trade and cooperation deal in the bloc’s history.
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