Von der Leyen says "fracture in the international rules-based system" amid EU-Canada associate push

Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that she wanted to work toward Canada becoming the EU’s first associate member, saying democracies need closer cooperation as the established international order comes under pressure. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended her annual State of the European Union address, becoming the first foreign government leader to do so; the visit was meant to build momentum before an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month. Both Ottawa and Brussels have sought closer ties while moving away from a U.S. under President Donald Trump that the report describes as hostile. The associate-member concept is not set out in EU treaties; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz floated a similar status for Ukraine this year, which Kyiv reportedly viewed coolly because it wants full membership.