Good morning! We are David Carretta, Christian Spillmann and Oliver Grimm, and we are presenting you the Morning Post Europe.
Today we welcome a new friend of The Morning Post Europe. Alessia Balducci is a correspondent for Agenzia Nova covering the EU and NATO. In today’s analysis, Alessia explains what is at stake in the rapprochement with Canada: will it be a genuine political and economic alliance, or just a “CETA plus”?
In the briefing we cover Poland’s fears of a Russian attack. Ursula von der Leyen yesterday presented her proposal to ban social media for under-13s and impose restrictions for those under 18. In the European Parliament, the EPP voted with the far right to condemn Pedro Sánchez over Ceuta. In Sweden, Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson will begin negotiations to form a government. In Germany, Friedrich Merz’s future could be decided in two regional elections. In France, Emmanuel Macron has summoned all presidential candidates to an emergency meeting on the international situation.
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Canada: EU “Associate Member” or “CETA Plus”?
By Alessia Balducci
“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday during her State of the Union address to the European Parliament. Everyone was surprised. Tighter Euro-Canadian relationships had been in the air. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was in the Strasbourg chamber as a special guest, ahead of his own address to the European Parliament yesterday. But no EU government had been warned by von der Leyen of her “associate membership” offer. This status is not provided for by the treaties. Above all, what does it mean?
The objective is to “move from CETA to an Alliance for the Future,” a Commission spokesperson explained. This would mean creating a tech alliance, integrating defence industrial bases, making the Arctic a flagship joint project and working together on energy, critical minerals, batteries and artificial intelligence. “In these challenging times, strengthening and reimaging our relationships with key partners across the world is vital,” the source explained. In addition to having a free trade agreement (CETA), Canada is the first non-European country to participate in SAFE, the Union’s financial instrument offering loans to the defence industry. According to the Financial Times, it’s also intensifying the talks to contribute to the €90 billion loan to Ukraine.
For Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the EU and Canada are complementary. They must form a political and economic alliance to protect their sovereignty and mutually reinforce each other in the face of hegemonic powers. “This is a ferocious storm. A single tree will come down in it. A forest will not,” Carney said. In his address to the European Parliament — an institution that welcomed him with warmth, applause and requests for selfies from MEPs and Commissioners — the Canadian Prime Minister explained his intentions. Given the “important gaps” in a series of strategic capabilities on both sides, “we each rely on individual nations or companies to fill them,” Carney explained. “This creates vulnerabilities, particularly when supposedly global companies prove national in the breach.” Filling these gaps “is not possible alone, but is very achievable collectively.”