The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed making Canada an associate member of the European Union — a first for the bloc.

Von der Leyen made the proposal on Wednesday during her State of the Union address in Strasbourg, France, where Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was a guest.

The move comes as both Canada and the EU face growing trade tensions with the United States. Canada is currently locked in a trade war with the US, its largest trading partner, and has faced repeated calls from US President Donald Trump for Canada to become the 51st American state — an idea Prime Minister Carney has firmly rejected.

Speaking in Strasbourg, Von der Leyen said the world order is shifting and democracies must build new coalitions. “In this new world we must urgently reimagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies,” she said.

“In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.”

Prime Minister Carney has said Canada is seeking a “unique alliance” with the EU, and had earlier at Davos called on “middle powers” to act together amid what he described as a “rupture in the world order.

“Von der Leyen stressed that the proposed partnership is “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength,” noting that the EU has also been hit by US tariffs on allies over the past year.

It remains unclear what associate membership would entail in practice, or whether all 27 EU member states will support the plan.

[Source: cnn.com]