New Zealand says it has not held talks with EU about becoming associate member

WELLINGTON - New Zealand has not had any discussions with the European Union about becoming an associate member, a spokesperson for New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Sept 18, after the bloc said it was considering such a proposal for Canada.“There have been no discussions with the EU about New Zealand becoming an associate member,” the spokesperson said.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sept 16 she wanted to open the door to Canada becoming the EU’s first “associate member” in a push to forge new links among allies in “an openly hostile world”.US President Donald Trump threatened the EU with tariffs if it moved forward with the Canada proposal, calling it “laughable”.European Parliament president Roberta Metsola said on Sept 17 that Australia and New Zealand could follow Canada in deepening ties with the EU.“I don’t doubt that will also include other countries that will come,” she said in an interview with television network Euronews.“We’ve already seen it, both in terms of legislation that we pass, where we see partners from across the world, Australia, New Zealand being some examples of saying, look, we want to deepen our relationship.”Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said on Sept 15 the country was “on the same page” with Canada’s attempt to seek deeper ties with the EU. REUTERS