Canada and the European Union have launched a deeper partnership they call the Alliance for the Future, The Guardian and the Washington Examiner report. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ursula von der Leyen, who leads the European Commission, unveiled it on Friday. They spoke at the end of a two-day summit in Montreal.

"Our societies have been shaken by new storms," Carney said, according to The Guardian. He pointed to climate change, the "erosion of democratic norms" and "the weaponization of trade." The alliance is open to other like-minded countries.

The leaders announced more than 20 initiatives, the Washington Examiner reports. They include a digital trade deal, more work on critical minerals and Canadian access to Europe's JUPITER supercomputer. Canadian firm Galvion won a contract worth more than $44 million to supply military helmets to Latvia.

Canada also agreed to contribute to a €90bn support loan for Ukraine, The Guardian reports. Carney pointed to a planned merger of Canada's Cohere and Germany's Aleph Alpha as a way to rely less on American AI giants.

The two sides again raised the idea of Canada becoming the bloc's first associate member, though what that would mean is not yet set. Germany and other states pushed to remove the phrase from a draft of the summit statement, The Guardian reports. Carney hopes to reach a deal defining it by June, the Washington Examiner reports, while The Guardian says a clearer scope would come at a 2027 summit.

The EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner, with trade worth about $178 billion last year, the Washington Examiner reports. Ties between Ottawa and Washington have frayed over President Donald Trump's tariffs.

What we know: Canada and the EU launched a new alliance with more than 20 initiatives.
What we don't: What associate membership would mean for Canada, and when it would be settled.