Delusional ‘State of the Union’ speech reveals EU’s condition is now ‘precarious’
In desperation, von der Leyen elevates 12th place trading partner to new, fictional status
Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2026
Mark Carney, EU-loving ex-head of Bank of England, now Canadian PM, plays along in embarrassment
The 'State of the European Union'
Even ardent EU-lover Mark Carney, Canada’s PM, was taken aback by Ursula von der Leyen’s 2026 State of the Union address to the EU Parliament last week. What made the EU Commission President's announcement stranger still is that it came in response to the ex-Bank of England Governor's plea to cosy up further to the bloc, at the potential expense of its highly profitable trading relationship with the United Kingdom.
This report by the think-tank Facts4EU on 'the State of the European Union' has been prepared with colleagues from Stand for Our Sovereignty and The Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIBUK.Org) and has been shared exclusively with GB News.
In one extraordinary statement, the EU Commission President invented an entire new structure for the EU when she addressed him.
“Dear Mark,
“I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first Associate Member of the EU.
- Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission President, Strasbourg, 16 Sept 2026
“We welcome this ambition.”
- Roberta Metsola, President of the EU Parliament, Strasbourg, 17 Sept 2026
A power-hungry EU Commission ‘red in tooth and claw’
Frau von der Leyen has now been in the central seat of power in Brussels for nearly seven years. It usually takes leaders 10 years before they start having ideas above their pay grade, but in the case of the EU Commission President some commentators are suggesting an early onset may be happening.
The statement in respect of Canada was problematic for several reasons
- There is no such thing as “Associate Membership” of the EU
- Leaders in European capitals and even officials in the Commission itself were astonished
- Establishing a new level of EU membership would require treaty change
- This takes years and requires unanimity – which she will not get
Former Secretary of State Lord Redwood commented exclusively to GB News and Facts4EU
“Mrs Von der Leyen over-reaches as she speaks.
“She is just one of five Presidents in the EU, alongside the President of the Council, of the Court, of the Parliament and of the Central Bank. She presumes to give an annual State of the Union address as if she were the Head of a great nation in the world, elected by voters of the Union.
“Modelling the occasion on the US President's annual address to Congress she seems unaware of the lack of military might, money and democratic mandate to back up her words. She moves paper armies and dreams of navies where the US President deploys aircraft carrier fleets and squadrons of stealth planes.
“Her offer of Associate Membership of the EU is brilliantly exposed by Facts4EU as a meaningless gesture as there is no such status and she has no such power.
“Canada needs to watch out. Any move to an Agreement within the EU's power will doubtless come with a big bill for Canada and an EU grab of authority over Canadian business.”
The absurdity of this ‘love-in’
"Anyone for a tango?"
[Ursula von der Leyen and Mark Carney, EU Parliament, 16 Sept 2026.
Photo credit: EU Parliament.]
The absurdity of von der Leyen’s love-in with the Canadian Prime Minister can be seen at a glance by comparing the trading relationship between Canada and EU countries against that of the United Kingdom.
Below we show how relatively unimportant Canada is to EU countries in terms of the EU’s exports of goods, compared to its exports to the UK.
For EU countries, the UK market is many times more important than Canada
© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2026 - click to enlarge
Canada - and the importance to it of the UK over the EU
For EU countries, the UK market remains many times more important than Canada. According to the latest data, Canada sits down in 12th place as an EU export destination.
When Mark Carney was Governor of the Bank of England, readers will recall him pronouncing on the woes of Brexit many times. None of his warnings have proved to be true, as we predicted at the time.
Similarly, Mr Carney seems blinded to the reality of Canada's trade. Excluding its next-door neighbour, the USA, the UK market is many times more important to Canada than any single EU country. Seeing the chart below, Canadians might wonder why Mr Carney is not talking to the UK rather than to the EU Parliament. A closer relationship with a friendly UK, with which it trades more, makes far more sense than with a self-serving, protectionist EU.
Note: In order to make the distinction outside North America graphically transparent, we have excluded Canada’s next-door neighbour, the USA, which takes a massive 72% of Canada’s exports.
For Canada the UK market is many times more important than any EU country
© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2026 - click to enlarge
Note: A significant proportion of the value of exported goods arriving in the Netherland is actually destined for other EU countries. This is the well-known "Rotterdam effect," particularly true for distant nations where bulk goods arrive on container ships at Dutch ports before distribution.
‘Alliance for the Future’ or ‘Back to the Future Part IV’?
Mr Carney was in the heartland of the EU for a reason. He is in conflict with the US President, Donald Trump, and is seeking to show that Canada has other friends. Instead of turning to Canada’s No.1 ally on this side of the Atlantic – the United Kingdom – he chose to go to his friends in the EU.
He now seeks an ‘Alliance for the Future’ with the EU, which last week got translated by Ursula von der Leyen into the mythical status of ‘Associate Member’.
Readers can watch Mark Carney's 25-minute speech to the EU Parliament here.
The EU hasn’t even ratified its trade deal with Canada from nine years ago
Discussions on an EU-Canada trade deal first started 22 years ago and were finally concluded when the CETA deal was signed in 2017. After nine years the deal still has not been ratified by 10 EU member states. Significantly, Cyprus has voted against and France has refused to ratify following the usual protests by French farmers.
Given this experience of the EU and its cumbersome and dysfunctional ways, no doubt this is why Mark Carney was careful to avoid using the highly contentious ‘Associate Member’ term during his own speech to the EU Parliament.
Conversely, the UK rolled over the CETA Agreement and ratified it in short order. Additionally, the UK is the first non-founding member to join the CPTPP – the Trans-Pacific Partnership – of which Canada is one of the founding members.
Finally, the Commonwealth, Mr Carney?
Finally, there are the not insignificant facts of CANZUK and the Commonwealth.
King Charles III is in fact Canada’s Head of State and Sovereign.
As Canadian Prime Minister, it might be thought Mark Carney would be mindful of this constitutional fact and the strong historical bond between our countries.
King Charles addressing the Canadian Parliament
Lord Redwood’s final, damning comments to GB News and Facts4EU
“Mrs Von Der Leyen has a scary vision of the EU. She sees it as a superpower strutting the world stage, beset by hostile forces.
“She said:
"Whether it is the ultranationalists or the anti-Europeans, whether it is Russian interference or disinformation, the names may be different, but their goal is the same. They despise our values, and they want to shatter our European unity. So let's not only fight back against that, let's fight together for our European idea."
“So she equates democratic parties in the EU opposing freedom of movement and illegal migration, and those opposed to the EU's extreme Net Zero dear energy policies, as a serious threat like Russia. She wants to stop them winning elections and is out to stifle their views.
“Meanwhile she ups the rhetoric against Russian aggression and illegal actions without having any military forces to help Ukraine battle against the invader. Mrs Von der Leyen may make both her problems worse by using provocative language without having the means to defeat the evils she sees.
“She needs to learn the difference between democratic parties pursuing real worries, and an invading force from a country in border disputes with the EU.”
Observations
The EU is the organisation that both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer want to re-join. We seriously wonder if either of them has taken a look at it recently.
Last week an air of the surreal seemed to descend on the hugely-expensive amphitheatre of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, as Frau von der Leyen gave her wandering State of the Union speech. This building is only used for a couple of days a month and the cost of the entire apparatus decamping temporarily like this is just one of the EU's extravagances. This happens, incidentally, to keep the French happy and is an anachronism from the early days of the Empire.
We even had to endure the cringe-making sight of Green MEPs wearing matching Canadian ice hockey shirts, in solidarity with the guest - the Net Zero-embracing, EU-loving Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney.
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[ Sources: EU Commission | Eurostat | Statistics Canada | EU Parliament ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.
Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 22 Sept 2026
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