European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a new partnership between the European Union and Canada. The proposal involves an associate membership status that would bring Ottawa closer to the bloc without granting it full membership.
Von der Leyen further announced that the EU and Canada would finalise an agreement the following day to bring Canada into Europe’s supercomputing infrastructure.
Von der Leyen said the EU was discussing the possibility of Canada becoming the bloc’s first associate member from outside Europe, according to Reuters. She described the proposed arrangement as “association without accession”, saying it would bring the two sides closer than any partnership the EU had established before. “Canada cannot be an EU member because of geography, but we want to take our relationship to the highest possible level,” von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU and Canada would seek to establish a “single space for strategic supply chains”, with both sides pursuing joint or complementary investments, including private financing. She also said the two sides would work together to develop rules and standards for artificial intelligence, an area where closer regulatory coordination could strengthen their influence over global technology governance.
The development comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to diversify the country’s trade ties and reduce its dependence on the United States amid escalating trade tensions with President Donald Trump. Such cooperation could support scientific research, advanced computing and AI development by improving collaboration between European and Canadian researchers.
On security, von der Leyen said the two sides needed to adjust their strategic posture in the Arctic to defend their shared values.