EU Chief Wants Canada to Become Bloc's First Associate Member

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member.

Speaking during her annual State of the European Union address, von der Leyen directed the proposal at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was in attendance.

“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the EU,” she said.

Carney received a standing ovation from European politicians and is due to address the European Parliament on Thursday.

A New EU-Canada Framework

The initiative comes as Canada seeks to deepen its economic and security links with Europe amid increasing tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump’s tariffs and repeated statements about making Canada the 51st U.S. state have prompted Ottawa to look for ways to reduce its reliance on trade with its southern neighbor.

Carney has called for a “unique alliance” with the EU as part of that shift.

Von der Leyen said the two sides would expand their relationship beyond the existing CETA free trade agreement through what she described as an “Alliance for the Future”.

The proposed framework would seek to establish “a common prosperity and economic security space,” she said.

Europe Seeks Hybrid-Threat Mechanism

Von der Leyen separately called for the EU to establish a mechanism modeled on Nato procedures to coordinate responses to drone incidents, sabotage and cyberattacks across Europe.

Many such incidents have been blamed on Russia.

“Europe needs its own counter-hybrid playbook. We urgently need a consensus on how to respond to certain incidents,” von der Leyen said.

She said the framework should address actions that “fall below armed aggression but clearly threaten our national security.”

Von der Leyen compared the proposed mechanism with Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allows members that believe their territory is under threat to convene emergency consultations.