Von der Leyen calls for closer EU-Canada ties on trade, defence, energy and tech, as bloc offers Canada first “associate membership”
STRASBOURG, FRANCE — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed that Canada become the European Union’s first “associate member,” urging deeper cooperation between the two democracies on key areas such as technology, defence, energy and critical minerals.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said that in a world facing a “fracture in the international rules-based system,” Brussels and Ottawa must 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,” she said, drawing a standing ovation from lawmakers.
The proposal comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to strengthen ties with the European Union, amid growing tensions in Canada’s relationship with the United States under President Donald Trump.
From Trade to a Broader Alliance
Von der Leyen said it was time to move beyond cooperation based solely on trade and build a stronger “alliance for the future.”
“We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defence industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project,” she said.
She also identified energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, cyber security and economic security as important areas for cooperation.
“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” von der Leyen added.
What’s In A Name?
While EU treaties do not currently provide for an “associate membership,” the idea was first floated this year by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in relation to Ukraine.
Under that proposal, Ukraine would have been allowed to attend EU summits and have a representative in the European Commission. It would also have benefited from parts of the EU budget, but without full voting rights.
“We don’t really know yet what it means,” said Tobias Cremer, a centre-left European lawmaker from Germany and the main sponsor of a March resolution calling for stronger EU-Canada cooperation.
Cremer said a closer alliance made sense because Canada and the EU share values, history, common interests and a strategic vision.
Valerie Hayer, head of the centrist Renew group, called for an even broader partnership. She urged Ottawa and Brussels to respond jointly to tariffs and “trade coercion,” while also encouraging university exchanges and other forms of cooperation.
However, some lawmakers questioned the proposal. French lawmaker Manon Aubry asked von der Leyen: “Who has given you a democratic and popular mandate to do that?”
Under EU rules, member states must approve any form of partnership with a third country. It therefore remains unclear how much support the proposal would receive from EU capitals.
A Shared Future
Despite challenges, the European Union and Canada already have significant economic and strategic cooperation.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which removed almost all tariffs between the two sides, has been credited with increasing trade in goods and services by more than 80 percent since 2016.
This year, Canada also became the first non-EU country to join a major European defence loan programme.
Canada’s ambassador to the EU, Jonathan Wilkinson, pointed to a deal to ship Canadian liquefied natural gas to Germany and investments by Canadian artificial intelligence company Cohere in the country as examples of cooperation that could be expanded.
Ottawa is also seeking an agreement that would allow the European Investment Bank to finance Canadian critical-minerals projects.
Carney’s European Visit
Prime Minister Mark Carney met with von der Leyen on Wednesday before travelling to Britain for his first meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
He was also scheduled to attend a Premier League football match between Everton and Wolverhampton before returning to Strasbourg for his Thursday address to the European Parliament.
A Stronger Democratic Partnership
Von der Leyen stressed that the EU and Canada should stand together, saying:
“We believe that power does not belong to the strongest, the richest or the loudest — but to all of us. That democracies have the freedom to choose with whom to work.”
She added that Europe and Canada “share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world.”
“And we will now build our shared future as well,” she concluded.
KEY QUOTE
“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength.”
— Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President
The EU-Canada summit scheduled for Montreal next month is expected to provide an opportunity for both sides to discuss how closer cooperation can be translated into concrete action.