Prime Minister Mark Carney has been advocating closer alignment with “middle powers” since January.
But what should worry another middle power, the UK, is that it was Brussels that came up with Wednesday’s big reveal in Strasbourg.
To a standing ovation at her State of the Union address, Ursula von der Leyen said she wanted to open the door to Canada becoming the EU’s first “associate member” in a push to forge new links among allies in “an openly hostile world“.
The European Commission president’s deal could be seen as an “earthquake” offer said Joel Reland, of UK in a Changing Europe, thought it remains “deliciously vague”.
The Guardian: Is EU’s offer to Canada a blueprint for Britain – or a reminder it is out in the cold?
UK in a Changing Europe: Canada’s new EU association holds lessons for the UK