CARNEY EXPLORES POSSIBILITY OF BECOMING ASSOCIATE EU MEMBER

OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER 13 /SRNA/ – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering closer ties with the European Union, including the "associate membership" in the bloc, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Such status does not currently exist, but the EU could be open to creating special membership arrangements, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed EU and Canadian officials.

The European Commission did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment.

The report comes ahead of Carney's address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, September 17, when he is expected to outline his vision for Canada-EU relations amid a challenging geopolitical environment.

Ottawa is currently involved in a major trade war with the United States. The two countries have imposed high tariffs on each other, with no signs of de-escalation.