European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is standing by her proposal to make Canada the European Union’s first-ever “associate member,” despite resistance from several EU countries, including Germany. During her Montreal visit, von der Leyen reiterated the idea of creating a partnership that comes closer to EU membership without full accession, covering areas such as AI, climate, energy, security and research. But the proposal has exposed divisions within the bloc. EU and Canadian leaders dropped the controversial “associate membership” label from their joint declaration, opting instead for an “ever closer association.” Is von der Leyen pushing ahead with a vision that Brussels itself has yet to fully embrace?
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