EU chief says she wants Canada to become bloc’s first associate member

Associated Press Reporters

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday that she wants to open the door for Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member.

The development is a sign of deepening ties as both confront growing tensions with US President Donald Trump.

“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the EU,” Ms von der Leyen told Mr Carney during her annual State of the European Union address.

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

The overture comes as Mr Trump’s tariffs and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state have pushed Ottawa to seek closer economic and security ties with Europe.

Mr Carney has called for a “unique alliance” with the EU as Canada seeks to reduce its heavy dependence on US trade.

Ms von der Leyen said Canada and the EU would build on their existing free trade agreement, known as Ceta, with a broader “Alliance for the Future” aimed at creating “a common prosperity and economic security space”.

Ms von der Leyen also said the European Union needs a Nato-like mechanism to better respond to drone incidents, acts of sabotage and cyberattacks across Europe, many of them blamed on Russia.

“Europe needs its own counter-hybrid playbook. We urgently need a consensus on how to respond to certain incidents,” Ms von der Leyen said, particularly for acts that “fall below armed aggression but clearly threaten our national security”.

Ms von der Leyen said that the system should be similar to Article 4 of Nato’s founding treaty, which allows countries believing that their territory is under threat to convene emergency meetings.

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