EU Commission President proposes associate member status for Canada

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has raised the possibility of Canada becoming the EU's first 'associate member'. Photo / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect Wednesday of Canada becoming the 27-nation bloc’s first “associate member”, as she pitched closer co-operation on tech, defence and energy to Canadian leader Mark Carney.

Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies facing a “fracture in the international rules-based system”, Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.

“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen told the Canadian prime minister, who was attending her annual keynote speech, drawing a standing ovation in the chamber.

Carney has been pursuing closer ties with the European Union, as both seek to pivot away from a hostile United States under President Donald Trump.

The first foreign head of government to attend the annual “State of the European Union” address, his visit is meant to act as a catalyst ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month.