Why Canada wan join EU as 'associate member' afta relationship wit US get k-leg

Di president of di European Commission don support proposals for Canada to becom di first "associate member" for EU.

Ursula von der Leyen tell di European Parliament on Wednesday say she bin wan work on "opening di door" for Canada, wey go involve closer ties on various key sectors.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week bin tok about seeking "unique alliance" wit di EU.

Di kontri dey currently face tense relations wit di US, and e dey worse as dem dey argue about dia trade wey get K-leg.

Witout mentioning US President Donald Trumpby name, von der Leyen say to give Canada some sort of EU membership "no be partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength".

She add say: "Partnerships na strategic choice for Europe. But dem also respond to di fracture for di international rules-based system."

Carney bin attend di annual key note speech for Strasbourg, and she go address di parliament on Thursday.

Tok-tok about trade between Canada and di US bin collapse last month, wey bring series of new tariff measures.

US President Donald Trump tok evritime say e wan make Canada di "51st state" don also help to put more fire between di North American neighbours.

Von der Leyen bin tell di EU State of di Union address say di bloc and Canada "see di world wit di same eyes", including on topics wey dey range from AI, to climate change and geopolitics.

"And we don stand togeda: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains. But above all... Europe and Canada beliv in democracy."

She no give specific details on how any Canadian membership go work, but she list manufacturing, technology, AI, defence, energy, critical minerals and economic security as key areas for cooperation.

Both she and oda European leaders don find ally wey dey reliable for Carney as dem dey deal wit similar problems.

In particular, dem don face Trump aggressive use of tariffs and im threat to cut Greenland wey be sovereign territory of EU member Denmark comot.

'Associate member' for di EU dey exist?

But "associate membership" of di EU no dey currently exist and di process, if dem agree, e fit take years.

Earlier dis year, Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz bin suggest - to mixed reaction - say dem fit grant Ukraine dis new status.

Some kontris for di western Balkans including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia dey for di long road already towards full EU membership.

For Eastern Europe, Georgia and Moldova dey also apply.

Ten of di 27 members wey dey for di bloc neva ratify free-trade agreement yet wey dem bin get wit Ottawa nearly one decade ago, and some capitals go prefer to build on existing defence and trade agreements instead of creating new form of membership for Canada.

To set out di EU political and policy priorities for di year ahead,von der Leyen also propose di formation of European Security Council, wey go include di UK and Ukraine, sake of di ongoing threat to di continent from Russia.

"For long time, we bin discuss leaders format wey dey focus on security of our continent, wit partners like Canada, Norway, Ukraine, di United Kingdom and odas wey dey involved," she tok for di wide-ranging address.

"E even dey more urgent now, sake of di nature and scale of di risks wey dey happun now. Dis na why we go set out our ideas to make di European Security Council a reality."

Di calls for such bodi don dey grow since Russia full-scale invasion of Ukraine for 2022.

Initially na French-German conception but more kontris don show support, particularly as Trump dey question di Nato military alliance. Oda nations dey worry say dat kain council fit no help to rival Nato.

Von der Leyen say di EU bin dey "strengthen our work wit Nato" and to expand defence spending wey go dey "fully aligned" wit di alliance.

But for di centre of dat kain security council go be di ability to trigger emergency meeting if one member dey feel say dem dey under threat, similar to Nato Article 4.

Di EU chief tok say e go be like "mechanism to flank" Article 4, di term wey dem fit interprete as complementing Nato functions or - if dem take am in military context - to bypass dem.

Alongside global threats, von der Leyen also tok say many European families bin dey worried about di cost of living, and di "dizzying speed of change" of technology and di impacts on jobs and society.

Oda proposals include inviting di largest AI labs for di world for tok-tok on how to support industry efforts to pace di frontier, as well as slashing bureaucracy for businesses for di EU.

Dem bin also put forward plans to curb social media use among children, including banning platforms for under 13s. Under di proposal, children wey dey between 13 and 15 years go only fit set up social media accounts wey dey supervised by parents.

One new emergency tool wey go help kontris to deal wit mass migration movements well sake of di deadly way wey migrants rush enta di Spanish enclave of Ceuta for July go also dey outlined.

Di pledge dey come wit message of European politicians on di right and hard right wey don gain support in recent years for proposing tougher approach.

Some of dem bin call di mass attempt to enta di EU through Ceuta an "invasion" and argue say make dem suspend asylum rules to deal wit dat kain crisis.

Von der Leyen say di new emergency tool go "only dey triggered under strictly defined set of criteria" and for specific period of time, and say fundamental rights go dey protected.

Human rights groups dey worry say such move fit make dem turn back vulnerable pipo, including women and children, and deny dem protection wey dem suppose get under international law.