EU chief calls for European Security Council and closer Canada ties

Europe was facing "an openly hostile world", von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg in her annual State of the European Union speech.

"A territorial war of aggression is raging on our continent; others have erupted nearby. A fight for industrial capacities is shaping global competition. And a battle of narratives is seeking to weaken confidence in Europe," she said.

"The fate of Europe must remain in the hands of Europeans."

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A European security council

A proposed European Security Council would bring together the EU and partners including Britain, Canada, Norway and Ukraine. Von der Leyen also called for an emergency system allowing any EU country to trigger talks on a joint response to threats such as sabotage and cyberattacks.

"Europe needs its own counter-hybrid playbook. We urgently need a consensus on how to respond to certain incidents," she said.

Under the proposed system, all EU countries would meet when one member activated it "to coordinate a European response, to deter further escalation and to mitigate the impact".

Support for Ukraine would also increase over the coming winter, with humanitarian aid and help for power, heating and air defences.

US Patriot interceptor missiles were urgently needed, but Europe also needed to reduce its dependence on a single supplier by developing an affordable, modular missile-defence system with Ukraine, von der Leyen said.

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Canada partnership

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the speech as a special guest as von der Leyen proposed opening the EU to a new kind of relationship with Canada.

Canada could become the bloc's first associate member – a status that does not currently exist under EU treaties. Carney has said Canada is seeking a "unique alliance" with the EU but not membership.

The two sides would work more closely on manufacturing, technology, defence, critical minerals and energy, with plans for a tech alliance and greater integration of their defence industries. The Arctic would also become a major joint project.

"We see the world with the same eyes: from AI to climate change, from the Arctic to geopolitics," von der Leyen said.

"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."

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China, climate and AI

Trade with China was another target, with von der Leyen describing the EU's goods deficit of €1 billion a day last year as unsustainable. The bloc would use all the tools available to rebalance the relationship.

Europe's reliance on China for critical minerals, including rare earths, would also be addressed through a new European corporation to help the EU obtain and stockpile the materials it needs.

Climate change was another priority after a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves. A new climate insurance alliance would aim to increase cover for extreme weather losses, with only around 25 percent currently covered by private insurance in Europe.

"Far too often, national budgets become the insurer of last resort. We need to take action to close this gap," von der Leyen said.

Artificial intelligence would also be part of the EU's agenda, with leading AI laboratories to be invited for talks on the risks posed by the technology.

Von der Leyen also proposed banning children under 13 from social media, online games and chatbots, with supervised accounts for those aged 13-15.

(with newswires)