EU’s von der Leyen wants Canada to become bloc’s first associate member

BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - 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.

Carney welcomed von der Leyen's proposal for "a far stronger, more ambitious alliance in the future," his office said, adding: "Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep cooperation in the full range of strategic capabilities."

Trump threatened to take action against the EU if it moved forward with the proposal.

"If they do that, if I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things," Trump told reporters en route to an event in North Carolina.

It will be up to EU member states, and not von der Leyen alone, whether her proposal, which left some EU watchers befuddled, goes ahead.

The EU has historically resisted flexible alliances that have no legal status. EU members were lukewarm in reacting to Germany's proposal in May of associate membership for Ukraine as a stepping stone to full accession.

One EU diplomat expressed surprise at von der Leyen's proposal, saying "nobody really knows what it means." The diplomat added there were concerns that the European Commission chief "is overpromising and won't be able to deliver."

Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive of the European Policy Centre think tank, said he would not expect significant economic gains for either side, but that there was potential in “standing up together” against Trump’s economic coercion and in working together on economic security.

However, he said one risk was that words were not followed by substance, which would "end up making us weaker rather than stronger."