EU chief backs plan for Canada to become ‘associate member’
EU chief backs plan for Canada to become 'associate member'. Image source, EPAImage caption, Mark Carney (left) walks alongside European Parliament President Roberta Metsola (centre) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right)ByAmy Walker and Nick Beake, Europe correspondentPublished16 September 2026Updated 21 minutes agoThe president of the European Commission has backed proposals for Canada to become the EU's first "associate member".
What happened
But "associate membership" of the EU does not currently exist and the process, if agreed, could take years. Ten of the bloc's 27 members are yet to ratify a free-trade agreement struck with Ottawa nearly a decade ago, and some capitals would prefer to build on existing defence and trade agreements rather than create a new form of membership for Canada. Related topicsEuropeEuropean UnionEuropean CommissionMore on this storyTrump's grand plan to reshape the world order leaves Europe with a difficult choice to makePublished9 JanuaryCarney gambles on the world's biggest investors betting on CanadaPublished2 days ago
Trump, who has frequently clashed with Canada's PM, threatens to cut trade with the European Union in response to the proposal. Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Wednesday she wanted to work on "opening the door" for Canada, which would involve closer ties on various key sectors. Trade talks between Canada and the US collapsed last month, sparking a series of new tariff measures. Trump's repeated talk of making Canada a "51st state" has also helped to fuel the feud between the North American neighbours.
The wider picture
Figure caption, 'Maybe they'll shoot you' – Carney recalls Trump's gift of White House keyCarney's new love-in with EU has everything to do with TrumpPublished13 hours agoVon der Leyen told 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. She did not give specific details on how any Canadian membership would work, but listed manufacturing, technology, artificial intelligence (AI), defence, energy, critical minerals and economic security as key areas for cooperation.
When asked about the plan, Trump called it "laughable". In particular, they have faced Trump's aggressive use of tariffs and his threat to annex Greenland which is a sovereign territory of EU member Denmark. Some countries in the western Balkans including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are already on the long road towards full EU membership. Image source, EPAImage caption, Von der Leyen said it was time to bring the EU's relationship with Canada to "the highest level possible"Setting out the EU's political and policy priorities for the year ahead, von der Leyen also proposed the formation of a European Security Council, which would include the UK and Ukraine, amid 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 said in the wide-ranging address. But at the core of such a security council would be the ability to trigger an emergency meeting if one member felt under threat, similar to Nato's Article 4.
What has been reported
The EU chief said it would be a "mechanism to flank" Article 4, a term that could be interpreted as complementing Nato functions or – if taken in a military context – bypassing them. Plans to curb social media use among children, including banning platforms for under 13s, were also put forward. The country currently faces tense relations with the US, compounded by an intensifying dispute over trade. Insisting it would not be a "partnership against anyone else", Von der Leyen did not mention Donald Trump by name.
Nevertheless the US president threatened to cut trade with the European Union in response to the proposal. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week spoke of seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU. Carney was in attendance at the annual key note speech in Strasbourg, and is due to address the parliament on Thursday. "And we have stood together: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains.
What happens next
"She added: "Partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe. But they also respond to the fracture in the international rules-based system". "If they do that, if I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe, on many things. "He added: "If it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility. "Both von der Leyen and other European leaders have found a reliable ally in Carney as they deal with similar problems.
Earlier this year, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested – to a mixed reaction – that Ukraine could be granted this new status.