Could Canada become the first 'associate member' of the EU?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed making Canada the European Union's first associate member. She raised the prospect during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, not Mark Carney as reported by some outlets, in Strasbourg, pitching closer cooperation on tech, defence, and energy.

Von der Leyen told the European Parliament that, as democracies face a fracture in the international rules-based system, Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together. She suggested working on intelligent manufacturing, creating a tech alliance, integrating defence industrial bases, and making the Arctic a flagship project.

The proposal comes as Canada seeks to pivot away from a hostile United States under President Donald Trump. According to Malay Mail, Canadian Prime Minister, who was attending von der Leyen's annual keynote speech, drew a standing ovation in the chamber. An EU-Canada summit is set to take place in Montreal next month.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Local Spain, The Local Germany, Malay Mail, MyJoyOnline Ghana, NPR — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.