European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Australia and New Zealand could follow Canada in becoming “associate members” of the European Union.
In an interview with Euronews on Sept. 17, ahead of a speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Metsola described the proposed status as a third way between full EU membership and candidate status.
“There are countries with which we want to deepen our relationship,” Metsola said.
“I don’t doubt that that will include other countries, and others will come knocking at our door.
“What we cannot let go in this time of such uncertainty is that friends matter, and if we can do more things with our friends, then let’s do them.”
Asked about the technicalities of what associate membership would look like, Metsola said: “We’re doing it in terms of trade. We’re doing it in terms of conversation on what we do with social media, with children, with critical raw materials, alliances that can be forged.”
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an “associate membership” for Canada in her annual State of the Union address.
New partnerships were needed “in the cold fragility of today’s world,” von der Leyen told...