EU chief backs plan for Canada to become 'associate member'

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

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.

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

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

She added: "Partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe. But they also 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 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.

Von 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.