European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she wanted to open the door to Canada becoming the EU's first "associate member" in a push to forge new links among allies in "an openly hostile world".
EU lawmakers gave a standing ovation after she made the proposal and then walked over to embrace Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was in the European Parliament to hear her annual State of the Union address.
New partnerships were needed "in the cold fragility of today’s world," von der Leyen told the assembly in Strasbourg.
The 27-nation bloc faces war at its borders, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both the EU and Canada have also been facing stiff rivalry on trade and other issues from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and from an increasingly assertive China.
'EUROPE AND CANADA BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY'
"I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, 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.
The EU and Canada "see the world with the same eyes: from AI to climate change, from the Arctic to 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," von der Leyen told the assembly.
It will be up to EU member states, and not von der Leyen alone, whether her proposal goes ahead.
The EU has historically resisted such types of flexible alliances that have no legal status. EU members were lukewarm in reacting to Germany's proposal in May of associate membership for Ukraine as a stepping stone to full accession.
One EU diplomat expressed surprise at von der Leyen's proposal, saying "nobody really knows what it means". The diplomat added there were concerns that the European Commission chief "is overpromising and won't be able to deliver."
Ahead of von der Leyen's speech, seven EU diplomats in Canada and Europe had told Reuters there were active efforts toward deeper collaboration on trade, defense and digital security, but no specific plan for a more comprehensive Canadian-EU relationship had been discussed at a high level.
It will be up to EU member states, and not von der Leyen alone, whether her proposal goes ahead.
The EU has historically resisted such types of flexible alliances that have no legal status. EU members were lukewarm in reacting to Germany's proposal in May of associate membership for Ukraine as a stepping stone to full accession.
One EU diplomat expressed surprise at von der Leyen's proposal, saying "nobody really knows what it means". The diplomat added there were concerns that the European Commission chief "is overpromising and won't be able to deliver."
Ahead of von der Leyen's speech, seven EU diplomats in Canada and Europe had told Reuters there were active efforts toward deeper collaboration on trade, defense and digital security, but no specific plan for a more comprehensive Canadian-EU relationship had been discussed at a high level.
Source: Reuters
--Agencies
