EU wants Canada to become ‘associate member,’ von der Leyen says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants Canada to become the first “associate member” of the European Union, she said in her annual State of the Union address on Wednesday.

“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen said her speech to European lawmakers, which was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Von der Leyen also announced a comprehensive new “Alliance for the Future,” built on the existing EU-Canada trade deal that would “create a common prosperity and economic security space.”

The nine-year-old CETA accord has, however, yet to be ratified by national and regional parliaments in 10 EU member states.

Von der Leyen’s initiative comes as Brussels and Ottawa seek to forge closer ties while both grapple with a costly trade war with the United States. Von der Leyen nonetheless insisted that the new partnership is “not against anyone else.”

While the plans are still light on detail, von der Leyen pledged to work on intelligent manufacturing, creating a tech alliance and integrating defense industries. In addition, the two sides will “make the Arctic a flagship joint project. We will work on energy, critical minerals and batteries. On AI, quantum, cyber and economic security,” she said.

Carney will address the European Parliament on Thursday.

Canada and the EU will hold a summit at the end of October in Montreal. They also aim to reach a deal on digital trade by the end of the year.