The European Commission president has backed a proposal that could see Canada become the European Union's first "associate member."
Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that she wanted to work on "opening the door" for Canada, describing the idea as a way to deepen cooperation across key sectors.
The comments came as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been pushing for a "unique alliance" with the EU. Canada's relationship with the United States has become increasingly strained, especially as trade tensions have escalated.
Von der Leyen said the idea was "not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength," adding that partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe and a response to the weakening of the international rules-based system.
Carney attended the annual State of the Union speech in Strasbourg and is due to address the parliament on Thursday.
The backdrop to the EU-Canada push is a sharp deterioration in Canada-US trade relations. Trade talks collapsed last month, leading to new tariff measures, while repeated remarks from US President Donald Trump about making Canada the "51st state" have added to the tension.
In her speech, von der Leyen said the EU and Canada "see the world with the same eyes," pointing to shared views on AI, climate change and geopolitics. She said both sides had already stood together on Ukraine, defence, raw materials and supply chains, and stressed that Europe and Canada both believe in democracy.
She did not set out how any Canadian membership arrangement would work, but said cooperation could be expanded in areas including manufacturing, technology, AI, defence, energy, critical minerals and economic security.
Von der Leyen also said it was time to bring the EU's relationship with Canada to "the highest level possible."
The idea of "associate membership" does not currently exist in the EU, and any move in that direction could take years. Earlier this year, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested Ukraine could be given this status, though the reaction was mixed.
The EU already has a number of countries on the path to full membership, including several in the western Balkans, as well as Georgia and Moldova in Eastern Europe.
There are also existing trade ties between the EU and Canada, although ten of the bloc's 27 members have still not ratified a free-trade agreement struck with Ottawa nearly a decade ago. Some capitals would rather strengthen current defence and trade arrangements than create a new category of membership for Canada.
Alongside the Canada proposal, von der Leyen also called for a European Security Council that would include the UK and Ukraine, citing the threat posed by Russia. She said the idea had become more urgent because of the scale of the risks facing the continent.
She also addressed wider concerns in Europe, including the cost of living and the impact of rapid technological change on jobs and society.
Other proposals included talks with the world's largest AI labs, efforts to reduce bureaucracy for businesses, a new emergency tool to help countries respond to mass migration movements, and plans to limit social media use among children, including a ban for under-13s and parent-supervised accounts for those aged 13 to 15.
Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that she wanted to work on "opening the door" for Canada, describing the idea as a way to deepen cooperation across key sectors.
The comments came as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been pushing for a "unique alliance" with the EU. Canada's relationship with the United States has become increasingly strained, especially as trade tensions have escalated.
Von der Leyen said the idea was "not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength," adding that partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe and a response to the weakening of the international rules-based system.
Carney attended the annual State of the Union speech in Strasbourg and is due to address the parliament on Thursday.
The backdrop to the EU-Canada push is a sharp deterioration in Canada-US trade relations. Trade talks collapsed last month, leading to new tariff measures, while repeated remarks from US President Donald Trump about making Canada the "51st state" have added to the tension.
In her speech, von der Leyen said the EU and Canada "see the world with the same eyes," pointing to shared views on AI, climate change and geopolitics. She said both sides had already stood together on Ukraine, defence, raw materials and supply chains, and stressed that Europe and Canada both believe in democracy.
She did not set out how any Canadian membership arrangement would work, but said cooperation could be expanded in areas including manufacturing, technology, AI, defence, energy, critical minerals and economic security.
Von der Leyen also said it was time to bring the EU's relationship with Canada to "the highest level possible."
The idea of "associate membership" does not currently exist in the EU, and any move in that direction could take years. Earlier this year, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested Ukraine could be given this status, though the reaction was mixed.
The EU already has a number of countries on the path to full membership, including several in the western Balkans, as well as Georgia and Moldova in Eastern Europe.
There are also existing trade ties between the EU and Canada, although ten of the bloc's 27 members have still not ratified a free-trade agreement struck with Ottawa nearly a decade ago. Some capitals would rather strengthen current defence and trade arrangements than create a new category of membership for Canada.
Alongside the Canada proposal, von der Leyen also called for a European Security Council that would include the UK and Ukraine, citing the threat posed by Russia. She said the idea had become more urgent because of the scale of the risks facing the continent.
She also addressed wider concerns in Europe, including the cost of living and the impact of rapid technological change on jobs and society.
Other proposals included talks with the world's largest AI labs, efforts to reduce bureaucracy for businesses, a new emergency tool to help countries respond to mass migration movements, and plans to limit social media use among children, including a ban for under-13s and parent-supervised accounts for those aged 13 to 15.