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European Union leaders backed a proposal to make Canada an 'associate member' of the bloc, a move that comes as Canadian PM Mark Carney seeks closer ties with Europe partly as a hedge against tensions with the United States. Carney traveled to Strasbourg this week pursuing what he described as a 'unique' relationship with the EU, though no such associate-member category currently exists in EU treaties, raising questions about what the designation would practically entail. Carney welcomed the EU's proposal, saying a Canada-EU alliance would serve as a 'beacon for other democracies' amid strains in the US-Canada relationship over trade. EU officials have not detailed the legal or institutional mechanics of how associate membership might work, leaving the concept largely aspirational for now even as both sides signal political interest in deepening ties.