EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

16 September 2026, 10: 34 BST. Updated 2 minutes ago.

Key points

• The EU and Canada already have a free-trade agreement eliminating duties on 99% of goods exports called the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).
• Ursula von der Leyen informed the European Parliament on Wednesday she wanted to work on "opening the door" for Canada.
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week spoke of seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU.
• Setting out the EU's political and policy priorities for year ahead, von der Leyen additionally proposed the formation of a European Security Council.
• The president of the European Commission has backed proposals for Canada to become the EU's first "associate member".

In practice, the president of the European Commission has backed proposals for Canada to become the EU's first "associate member".

Ursula von der Leyen informed the European Parliament on Wednesday she wanted to work on "opening the door" for Canada. It would involve closer ties on various key sectors.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week spoke of seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU. The country at present faces tense relations with the US, compounded by an ongoing dispute over trade.

Without mentioning US President Donald Trump by name, von der Leyen remarked offering Canada some sort of EU membership was "not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength".

She continued: "Partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe. But they additionally respond to the fracture in the international rules-based system".

Carney was in attendance at the annual key note speech in Strasbourg, and is due to address the parliament on Thursday.

Trade discussions between Canada and the US collapsed last month, sparking a series of new tariff measures. Carney's new love-in with EU has everything to do with Trump.

Von der Leyen informed the EU's State of the Union address that the bloc and Canada "see the world with the same eyes", including on topics ranging from AI, to climate change and geopolitics.

"And we have stood together: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains. But above all. Europe and Canada believe in democracy."

She listed manufacturing, technology, AI, defence, energy, critical minerals and economic security as key areas for cooperation under the partnership.

For context, the EU and Canada already have a free-trade agreement eliminating duties on 99% of goods exports called the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).

"We will move from CETA to an Alliance for the Future to create a common prosperity and economic security space, " remarked von der Leyen.

Notably, the move comes as EU members have additionally been hit trade tariffs under Trump's administration and as the bloc faces what its chief described as "an openly hostile world".

Setting out the EU's political and policy priorities for year ahead, von der Leyen additionally proposed the formation of a European Security Council. It would include the UK and Ukraine, against the backdrop of an ongoing threat to the continent from Russia.

"For a long time, we have discussed a leaders' format focused on the security of our continent, with partners like Canada, Norway, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and others involved, " she remarked in the wide-ranging address.

"This is even more urgent now, given the nature and scale of the risks at play. This is why we will set out our ideas to create a European Security Council a reality."

Alongside global threats, von der Leyen additionally stated plenty of European families were worried concerning the cost of living, and the "dizzying speed of change" of technology and its impacts on jobs and society.

As well as slashing bureaucracy for businesses in the EU, other proposals included inviting the world's largest AI labs for discussions on how to backing industry efforts to pace the frontier.

Notably, a new emergency tool to support countries better agreement with mass migration movements after the deadly influx of migrants to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July would additionally be outlined.

Intends to curb social media apply among children, including banning platforms for under 13s, were additionally proposed. Under the proposal, children aged 13 to 15 would only be able to set up social media accounts which are supervised by parents.

In short, EU chief opens door for Canada to become ' associate member&#039 is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.