EU Chief Backs Proposal for Canada to Become First “Associate Member”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has backed proposals for Canada to become the European Union’s first “associate member”, suggesting the bloc could open the door to a new form of closer cooperation with the North American country.

Speaking to the European Parliament on Wednesday, von der Leyen said she wanted to explore stronger ties with Canada across several strategic sectors. The proposal comes as Canada faces increasingly tense relations with the United States, particularly over trade.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended the European Parliament’s annual keynote address in Strasbourg, said last week that he was seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU. He is due to address the parliament on Thursday.

Although von der Leyen did not mention US President Donald Trump by name, she said closer relations between Europe and Canada would not be directed against another country.

“Partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe. But they also respond to the fracture in the international rules-based system,” she said, adding that closer cooperation with Canada would be “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength”.

Trade relations between Canada and the US have deteriorated in recent months. Talks between Ottawa and Washington collapsed last month, followed by a series of new tariff measures. Trump has also repeatedly spoken about Canada becoming the “51st state”, comments that have contributed to tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

Von der Leyen said the EU and Canada shared similar views on a range of international issues, including artificial intelligence, climate change and geopolitics. She also highlighted cooperation between the two sides on Ukraine, defence, raw materials and supply chains.

“But above all… Europe and Canada believe in democracy,” she said.

The European Commission president did not provide details about how an associate membership arrangement would operate. She identified manufacturing, technology, artificial intelligence, defence, energy, critical minerals and economic security as areas where cooperation could be expanded.

However, “associate membership” is not currently an established category within the EU, meaning any such arrangement would require negotiations and potentially take years to develop.

Earlier this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested that Ukraine could potentially be offered a similar status, although the proposal received mixed reactions.

Several Western Balkan countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, are already pursuing full EU membership. Georgia and Moldova are also candidates seeking closer integration with the bloc.

Canada already has significant trade and political ties with the EU. However, 10 of the EU’s 27 member states have yet to ratify the free-trade agreement reached with Ottawa almost a decade ago. Some European governments may therefore prefer to expand existing trade and defence arrangements instead of creating an entirely new membership category.

Von der Leyen also used her address to propose the creation of a European Security Council that would bring together EU countries and partners including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Canada and Norway.

She said discussions about establishing a leaders’ forum focused on European security had been taking place for some time but had become more urgent because of the scale of current threats.

“This is even more urgent now, given the nature and scale of the risks at play. This is why we will set out our ideas to make a European Security Council a reality,” she said.

Calls for such a body have increased since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The idea was initially promoted by France and Germany, while additional countries have since expressed support.

The proposal has also emerged amid uncertainty surrounding the future of European security cooperation and concerns about the strength of the NATO alliance. Some governments, however, fear that a new European security body could duplicate or compete with NATO.

Von der Leyen said the EU would continue strengthening its cooperation with NATO and that increased European defence spending would remain fully aligned with the alliance.

One proposed function of the security council would be to allow an emergency meeting to be called if a member believed it was facing a security threat, in a mechanism comparable to NATO’s Article 4 consultations.

Von der Leyen described the proposed body as a mechanism that could “flank” Article 4, although the precise relationship between the two arrangements remains unclear.

Beyond foreign policy and defence, the Commission president also highlighted domestic concerns facing European citizens, including the rising cost of living and the rapid development of technology and its impact on employment and society.

Her proposals included inviting leading artificial intelligence laboratories to discussions about supporting European industry while managing the pace of technological development. She also called for measures to reduce bureaucracy facing businesses across the EU.

The address included plans aimed at restricting children’s access to social media. Under the proposal, social media platforms would be banned for children under 13, while children aged 13 to 15 would only be able to create accounts with parental supervision.

Migration was another major issue in the proposed EU agenda. Von der Leyen said the bloc would introduce a new emergency mechanism to help member states respond to sudden mass migration movements, following the large influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July.

The proposal reflects growing pressure from European politicians calling for stricter migration policies. Some politicians on the right and far right described the July attempt to enter Ceuta as an “invasion” and called for asylum rules to be suspended during such emergencies.

Von der Leyen said the emergency mechanism would only be activated under a “strictly defined set of criteria” and for a limited period. She also stressed that fundamental rights would continue to be protected.

Human rights organisations have expressed concern that emergency migration measures could result in vulnerable people, including women and children, being turned away and prevented from accessing protections guaranteed under international law.