STRASBOURG: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed making Canada the European Union’s first-ever “associate member,” a new category of partnership that does not currently exist under EU treaties, as she called for deeper cooperation in defence, energy, technology, artificial intelligence and critical minerals amid shifting global alliances.
Addressing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during her annual State of the Union speech, von der Leyen said she wanted to work with him on opening the door for Canada to become the EU’s first associate member. She framed the move as a shift from a purely trade-based relationship to a broader “alliance for the future,” aimed at elevating EU-Canada ties to the highest level possible, with cooperation spanning manufacturing, AI, critical minerals and energy.
The overture comes as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and repeated suggestions of making Canada the 51st US state have pushed Ottawa closer to Europe. Canada’s ambassador-designate to the EU said Ottawa is not seeking full EU membership, since that would require surrendering some sovereignty, but instead wants to get as close as possible to the bloc without diminishing it.
Carney has welcomed the idea, with his office saying the closer relationship would help strengthen Canadian sovereignty. However, the proposed status would require further negotiations and unanimous agreement among EU member states, and no formal rulebook currently exists for how associate membership would work in practice; greater clarity is expected around the Canada-EU summit in October.
Child Safety Online
The European Commission also plans to propose new rules restricting children’s access to social media, including a ban for those under 13 and limitations on personal accounts for users under 15. The move follows recommendations from an EU expert panel and comes after several member states, including France, pushed for stricter national curbs following Australia’s under-16 social media ban.
Climate Risks and Response
Von der Leyen further highlighted Europe’s growing climate risks, citing heatwave-related deaths, falling river levels and devastating wildfires across the continent this year. In response, she proposed a new EU heatwave action plan and floated the creation of a future EU firefighting aircraft fleet to strengthen the bloc’s disaster response capacity.
