European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the 27-nation bloc wants Canada as its first associate member, a new effort to strengthen ties between the two as relations with the United States sour. Talks of a new partnership with Canada were first revealed last week, and were given new credence on […]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the 27-nation bloc wants Canada as its first associate member, a new effort to strengthen ties between the two as relations with the United States sour.
Talks of a new partnership with Canada were first revealed last week, and were given new credence on Wednesday during von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The arrangement would be the first of its kind, and it is still in the planning phase, but it is intended to wean Canada off of its reliance on the U.S. Von der Leyen began by warning of the need for new partnerships amid the “fracturing” of the “international rules-based system.”
” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member.webp” src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member.webp” alt=”Carney Leyen” class=”wp-image-4729108″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member-1.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member-1.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member-1.webp?resize=768,512 768w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member-1.webp?resize=150,100 150w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eu-wants-canada-to-be-its-first-associate-member-1.webp?resize=696,464 696w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, listens to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the annual State of the European Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)
“In this new world, we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. And build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies,” she said.
“Mark [Carney], your presence here is a symbol of the enduring friendship between our people. Our cultural, historical, and personal links run deep within the fabric of our societies,” von der Leyen said after introducing the Canadian prime minister.
Her comments then seemed to subtly turn against President Donald Trump.
“But above all, dear Mark, Europe and Canada believe in democracy,” the EU head said. “We believe that power does not belong to the strongest, the richest, or the loudest, but to all of us. That democracies have the freedom to choose with whom to work.”
She pledged that Canada and the EU would move from their current agreement to an “Alliance for the Future,” with the aim of creating a “common prosperity and economic security space.” This new alliance would involve new cooperation on intelligent manufacturing, tech, defense industrial bases, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, and quantum, cyber, and economic security.
“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” von der Leyen said, with an eye on the U.S. “In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.”
Addressing Carney personally, she continued, “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. We share one ocean, one set of values, one way of seeing the world. And we will now build our shared future as well. Thank you for being here.”
Canada has searched across the world for new partnerships to help better its position vis-à-vis the U.S., with mixed results. Among the most controversial was the pursuit of new ties with China, a move that led to predictable calls of hypocrisy given Ottawa’s stated stance of seeking like-minded partners. The EU presents a much more obvious and less problematic candidate.
Carney is slated to address the European Parliament on Thursday.
