Canada set to become EU's first associate member

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she wanted to open the door to Canada becoming the EU's first "associate member" in a push to forge new links among allies in "an openly hostile world".

European Union lawmakers gave a standing ovation after she made the proposal and then walked over to embrace Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was in the European Parliament to hear her annual State of the Union address.

New partnerships were needed "in the cold fragility of today's world," von der Leyen told the assembly in Strasbourg, without detailing what associate membership would mean.

The 27-nation bloc faces war at its borders, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both the EU and Canada have also been facing stiff rivalry on trade and other issues from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and from an increasingly assertive China.

"I said we must urgently reimagine our partnerships. So, I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU," von der Leyen said.

The EU and Canada "see the world with the same eyes: from AI to climate change, from the Arctic to geopolitics. And we have stood together: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains. But above all ... Europe and Canada believe in democracy," von der Leyen told the assembly.