Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has proposed making Canada the EU's first "associate member", opening the door to closer ties on trade, security and technology. The offer comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks a "unique alliance" with Brussels amid strained relations with the United States, following the collapse of Canada-US trade talks last month and subsequent new tariffs from the Trump administration.

Speaking at the EU's State of the Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday, von der Leyen said Canada and the EU "see the world with the same eyes" on issues including AI, climate change and geopolitics, citing cooperation on Ukraine, defence, raw materials and supply chains. She listed energy, critical minerals, batteries, cyber and economic security as further areas for closer partnership, insisting the move was "not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength." She also proposed a European Security Council including the UK, Ukraine and Norway to address the "urgent" threat from Russia. Carney attended the speech and is due to address the European Parliament on Thursday.