EU chief Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect on Wednesday of Canada becoming the 27-nation bloc's first "associate member', as she pitched closer cooperation on tech, defence and energy to Canadian leader Mark Carney. Key points and original sources are listed below.

• EU chief Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect on Wednesday of Canada becoming the 27-nation bloc's first "associate member', as she pitched closer cooperation on tech, defence and energy to Canadian leader Mark Carney.S1S2

• Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies face a "fracture in the international rules-based system", Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.S3

• The two sides will move from CETA to an Alliance for the Future, European Commission President Urusla von der Leyen said in her State of the Union address.S4

• Canada could become the EU’s first-ever “associate member.” Stephen Carroll breaks down what that means. (Source: Bloomberg)S5

• Internewscast Internewscast European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed creating a… This Post: EU Chief Wants Canada to Be Bloc’s First Associate Member first appeared on InternewscastS6

• Canadian PM Mark Carney has been pursuing closer ties with the European Union, as both seek to pivot away from a hostile United States under President Donald Trump.S7