Live Updates > Live Update Details
2026-09-16 15:42:09
[Urban President Ursula von der Leyen to Announce New EU-Canada Trade and Security Alliance; Carney to Attend] (1) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will announce in her State of the Union address on Wednesday that the EU and Canada plan to form a new alliance based on trade and security. (2) According to a draft of the speech, von der Leyen said, “We want to elevate the Canada-Canada relationship to the highest possible level.” (3) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend and deliver his own speech on Thursday. (4) Carney warned earlier this year that the “rules-based international order” is practically dead and has repeatedly called for so-called middle powers to unite. (5) The Carney government, economically shaken by the trade war with the United States, has prioritized deepening the EU partnership and is actively considering everything except de facto membership. (6) Sources say that Canada’s priorities include completing the ratification of CETA (EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement); the agreement was negotiated a decade ago, but 10 European countries have yet to formally ratify it.
