Continental drift

By Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Jeanna Smialek

To many observers, a tighter alliance between the European Union and Canada seems to make sense.

Trump has waged a relentless trade war with Canada, challenging its economy. The U.S. has also pulled back support for NATO and Ukraine, leaving the E.U. scrambling to shore up its defenses. That vacuum has left both Canada and the E.U. looking for new partners as the alliances established after World War II shift.

The invitation for Canada to become an “associate member” of the E.U., made yesterday by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, shows just how intent these two traditional U.S. allies are on pursuing a stabler future by binding closer together. “We must urgently reimagine our partnerships,” von der Leyen said in a speech, as Carney sat next to her, beaming.

Between them, the E.U.’s 27 members and Canada have more than 490 million citizens, four of the world’s 10 largest economies, and a whole lot of desire to find partners outside the U.S. Carney often calls Canada “the most European non-European country.” E.U. leaders have spent years joking that it could join the bloc if only it were not on a far-flung landmass.

But yesterday’s announcement — which still falls well short of full membership — also highlighted the challenges involved in remaking the world order in real time. It may be easier said than done.

The 28th state?

The E.U. hinges on deep, dense legal and procedural rules, built over decades by a group of nations that ceded sovereignty to one another, and to an unelected executive branch in Brussels.

Bringing in a country an ocean away is not straightforward.

Canada does not actually qualify for full E.U. membership, since, ultimately, it’s not in Europe. But bringing it closer to the E.U. is still complicated. And the initiative began raising eyebrows within minutes of being announced on the floor of the European Parliament.

The issue was the name. The label the European Union wants to confer on Canada, “associate member,” is not an existing type of partnership. It has no obvious legal basis, and it’s not entirely clear what it would even entail.

The term has drawn consternation from several member states, who see it as vague, untethered from legal frameworks and potentially unfair to countries that already have detailed legal agreements with the E.U. That includes candidate nations such as Albania and also Britain and Norway, who have deep trade and defense ties to the bloc.

Some in Canada don’t appear to love it either. The Conservative opposition leader seized on the term, arguing that if Canada was to never be the 51st state of the U.S., it should also not become the 28th member state of the E.U.

Hours after von der Leyen spoke, the incoming Canadian ambassador to the E.U. said that Canada preferred “alliance for the future” to describe the emerging new bond with the E.U. “I think we’re still a ways away from actually landing on what we think the best way to describe it is,” he said.

Middle powers, acting together?

Ultimately, most experts agree the point is the symbolism.

In the run-up to the speech, European officials said the bloc did not want Trump to perceive Europe’s new energized partnership with Canada as an anti-American move.

This was “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength,” von der Leyen said.

Still — if this isn’t a move against the United States, then it’s certainly about it.

Carney gave a headline-grabbing speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year. He argued that the world order that emerged from the Cold War was facing a “rupture, not a transition,” and that “middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”

Yesterday’s announcement was a vivid demonstration of that strategy.

“It’s a big swing, politically and rhetorically,” said Jörn Fleck, a senior director focused on Europe at the Atlantic Council in Washington. “This is obviously signaling toward the U.S.” and “it’s also signaling to potential allies that the E.U. is willing to get more creative.”

Related: The E.U.-Canada news shows how Trump is upending global relationships in ways that will be difficult to undo, my colleagues write from Washington.

OTHER NEWS

• Fiji has declared a national emergency amid an extraordinary rise in H.I.V. cases. One in 60 adults on the island nation is estimated to be living with the virus.

• OpenAI disclosed six new instances of “unexpected or concerning” behavior of its A.I. models as part of a new reporting framework.

• The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2023.

• The Trump administration imposed visa restrictions on some South Africans over claims of discrimination against white people.

• Five men are accused of being part of a network, orchestrated by the Kremlin, that planned to assassinate Russian dissidents.

• The Turkish authorities are cracking down on L.G.B.T.Q. activists, saying it is an effort to protect families.

• Hashim Thaci and other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders who fought Serbia for independence in the 1990s received prison sentences for war crimes.

• At least 70 people were killed in the collapse of a gold mine in Sudan.

MIDDLE EAST

• A Gaza building damaged in the war collapsed, killing at least 21 people, including children.

• Saudi Arabia, under pressure to rapidly restore oil supply lines, is facing the prospect of a severe energy crisis with global implications.

• As a candidate, Trump railed against forever wars. Now, he is desperate to avoid getting into one as the conflict in Iran drags on. David Sanger, our White House and national security correspondent, explains in the video below.