European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a major expansion of the European Union’s relationship with Canada, including the possibility of making Canada the EU’s first “associate” member.
Speaking in the European Parliament this morning, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney listening from the first row, von der Leyen said the EU and Canada should move beyond their existing trade relationship under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
She said CETA had been a huge success with trade in goods between the two sides increasing by 75 percent in less than a decade, but she hinted that more could be possible.
Her proposed “Alliance for the Future” would focus on economic security and shared prosperity, she said.
Ireland currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and Minister of State, Thomas Byrne, was in the parliament chamber to put his response to von der Leyen’s EU-Canada idea.
“Your proposal significantly advances the relationships between the European Union and our great friend, Canada,” he said enthusiastically.
Areas of cooperation could also include advanced manufacturing, technology, defence industries, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cybersecurity.
“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” von der Leyen insisted.
But the move is being seen as a reaction against Donald Trump and his repositioning of the United States away from Europe and EU values.
“We believe that power does not belong to the strongest, the richest or the loudest – but to all of us,” she said.
Von der Leyen also proposed closer cooperation with Canada in the Arctic region, on supply chain resilience and raw material extraction.
The EU and Canada are presenting it as a way to strengthen both sides in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment.
Von der Leyen highlighted shared positions on democracy, Russia’s war in Ukraine, defence and climate change. She said democratic countries should retain the freedom to choose their international partners.
The proposal comes as the EU considers broader new security arrangements. Canada, Norway, Ukraine and the United Kingdom are among the countries that could be involved in a proposed European Security Council focused on the security of the continent – a concept that is still under consideration.
The EU also wants to expand cooperation with Canada on artificial intelligence. Possible areas include model evaluation, verification, early-warning systems and AI security, building on Europe’s regulatory framework under the AI Act.
“We must urgently reimagine our partnerships,” von der Leyen said, arguing that Europe and Canada should build stronger international coalitions to protect democratic values and improve resilience.
There is currently no legal concept for “associate” status in the EU treaties.
When German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, suggested that Ukraine could be a candidate for associate status, rather than full EU membership, the idea was roundly rejected.