Marrakech – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has invited Canada to become the European Union’s first “associate member,” an unprecedented offer aimed at forging closer ties as both partners face mounting pressure from the United States and China.
Von der Leyen made the proposal Wednesday during her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seated in the front row. She told the European Parliament that the two sides must “urgently reimagine” their partnership and move beyond their existing free-trade agreement.
“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” she told the assembly. Lawmakers responded with a standing ovation. Carney then rose, approached von der Leyen, and embraced her before briefly waving to the chamber.
Von der Leyen framed the outreach as a response to a shifting global order. New partnerships were needed “in the cold fragility of today’s world,” she noted, calling the move “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.”
The two partners, she argued, “see the world with the same eyes,” on issues ranging from artificial intelligence to climate change and geopolitics. She pointed to shared positions on Ukraine, defense, raw materials, and supply chains, adding that “above all… Europe and Canada believe in democracy.”
The proposal follows the collapse of Canada-US trade talks last month, which triggered a series of tariff measures between the two neighbors. Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada a “51st state” has further strained relations. Carney has pledged to double Canada’s non-US trade over the next decade.
Von der Leyen laid out several areas for cooperation. The existing trade deal would be upgraded to an “alliance for the future,” she noted, while the two sides would build a tech alliance, integrate defense industrial bases, and make the Arctic a “flagship joint project.” She also cited energy, critical minerals, batteries, quantum computing, and cybersecurity.
Carney welcomed the offer but avoided the “associate member” label. His office described the proposal as “a unique, positive approach that we will define together.”
Canada’s incoming EU ambassador, Jonathan Wilkinson, downplayed the terminology, telling reporters the two sides remain “a ways away” from settling on a description. He reiterated that Canada is “not looking to be a member of the European Union.”
The proposal left some EU officials puzzled. “Associate member” is not a legal designation, and the bloc’s rules state that only European countries can apply for membership.
One EU diplomat expressed surprise, remarking that “nobody really knows what it means,” while a second called it “an empty phrase.” Ten of the bloc’s 27 members have yet to ratify the EU-Canada trade agreement struck nearly a decade ago.
The plan also drew fire in Canada. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney of failing to “get his story straight,” warning against “EU taxes,” “EU laws,” and “EU open-border immigration policies.” He posted on X: “We will NEVER be the 51st U.S. state. And we will NEVER be the 28th EU state.”
Von der Leyen used the same address to propose a European Security Council including the UK and Ukraine, and to outline a new emergency tool for handling mass migration, drafted after the July influx of migrants into occupied Ceuta. The EU and Canada are due to hold a summit in late October.
