MONTREAL, Canada, Oct 29, 2026 (Net) – The EU wants to build a partnership with Canada
that “comes closer to membership than anything we have done before,” the bloc’s chief Ursula
von der Leyen said Thursday ahead of a summit with Canadian leader Mark Carney.
“We both want to bring our relationship to the highest level possible,” von der Leyen said in a
speech in Montreal, referring to Canada possibly becoming the European Union’s “first associate
member” despite an intra-EU squabble over the use of the term.
