Showing posts with label European Union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European Union. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Hoekstra Reacts to Plan on Making Canada EU's First Associate Member
Friday, September 18, 2026
Why Canada & Europe Are Teaming Up Against US Trade Threats
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here »
I am sure that I am not alone in looking forward to the day when the world will be TRUMP-FREE and MAGA-FREE, too — when Trump and his chumps are GONE! In fact, I can’t wait for that day! That will surely be a day worthy of a Champagne celebration! — © Mark Alexander
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Could Australia Join the European Union?
Sep 17, 2026 | When Donald Trump announced his so-called Liberation Day tariffs in April last year, one question seemed to dominate: which country would suffer the most economic pain?
But since then, one country after the next seems to have awoken to a starkly hopeful realisation: the United States accounts for only 15 per cent of total global imports and trade. So, could these countries join a newly powerful trading bloc?
Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on recent moves by Canada to possibly join the European Union, and if Australia could follow suit.
But since then, one country after the next seems to have awoken to a starkly hopeful realisation: the United States accounts for only 15 per cent of total global imports and trade. So, could these countries join a newly powerful trading bloc?
Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on recent moves by Canada to possibly join the European Union, and if Australia could follow suit.
Canadians React to E.U.’s ‘Associate Member’ Offer
THE NEW YORK TIMES: While some Canadians welcomed the European Union’s offer to make their country an “associate member” of the bloc, others were skeptical about its practical significance. | By Julie Yoon | Thursday, September 17, 2026
Click here to listen to the reactions.
Von der Leyen Pitches 'Associate Member' Status for Canada: What Does It Mean for EU-US Ties?
Carney's Canada Draws Closer to European Union • FRANCE 24 English
Sep 16, 2026 | With a US president who talks of making Canada the 51st state…Its leader in Europe where it’s not quite the EU's 28th state on offer but something the president of the European Commission is calling ‘associate membership’. We’ll ask what that means, how it differs from the close status afforded to the likes of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK which Carney’s also visiting ahead of his own Strasbourg speech Thursday before the European Parliament.
What are Canada’s options? What are Europe’s options as both the US and Russia covet the Arctic? How closer can they really get when already ten EU nations - including France and Italy - have yet to ratify the CETA free trade agreement that’s provisionally in effect with Ottawa?
The French - who have their own challenges with the far-right favourite to win next May’s presidential elections - will conclude this Canadian cycle when Emmanuel Macron hosts Carney in the tiny North Atlantic overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Ahead of UN week in New York, a simple question: do Europeans take on the United States head on like Canada or massage relations with the world's biggest superpower
What are Canada’s options? What are Europe’s options as both the US and Russia covet the Arctic? How closer can they really get when already ten EU nations - including France and Italy - have yet to ratify the CETA free trade agreement that’s provisionally in effect with Ottawa?
The French - who have their own challenges with the far-right favourite to win next May’s presidential elections - will conclude this Canadian cycle when Emmanuel Macron hosts Carney in the tiny North Atlantic overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Ahead of UN week in New York, a simple question: do Europeans take on the United States head on like Canada or massage relations with the world's biggest superpower
Canada Associate EU Membership Offer ’Not A Surprise’ | Peter Conradi
Sep 16, 2026 | “My feeling is it’s fundamentally a symbolic thing.”
The associated membership to the EU offered to Canada had been “trailed in advance” but it’s “not entirely clear what it would mean”, says Europe editor for The Times Peter Conradi.
The associated membership to the EU offered to Canada had been “trailed in advance” but it’s “not entirely clear what it would mean”, says Europe editor for The Times Peter Conradi.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Osborne Claims Britain Has ‘Fallen Off a Cliff’ Since Leaving Europe
THE TELEGRAPH: Former Tory chancellor urges Andy Burnham to re-enter EU customs union after Brexit’s ‘devastating impact’ on trade
George Osborne has said Britain should rejoin the EU customs union, claiming that the country has “gone off a cliff” since Brexit.
The former Tory chancellor, who resigned hours after Lord Cameron following the referendum, said rejoining the trading bloc would be a “straightforward decision” for Andy Burnham.
He told The Independent: “Britain has basically gone off a cliff. It has had a huge impact on the British economy. It is clearly poorer than it would otherwise be.”
His suggested solution was to rejoin the customs union. “It’s a quite simple thing to do. That was never part of the Brexit debate.
“No one knew we were leaving it and it has had a devastating impact on trade,” he said.
He added that Brexiteers had backed leaving the customs union because of “these great trade deals we were going to strike with America”, which he said “looks pretty fanciful now”.\
The former chancellor said: “If I was Andy Burnham, I don’t see why you wouldn’t rejoin the customs union. » | Genevieve Holl-Allen Political Correspondent | Wednesday, September 13, 2026
I see that the ‘great and the good’ are all coming around to my way of thinking now! The UK’s place is, and always has been, inside the European Union. We Britons are Europeans, and the European Union is our home. It is a wonderful, supranational union which has evolved and grown since World War II in order to ensure that there will not be another horrendous war in Europe and to bring about peace, harmony, good relations, and security within Europe, and to foster human rights for ALL. And, very importantly, to bring about prosperity to all in Europe. We Europeans are a family with similar values, similar hopes, and similar dreams and aspirations. — © Mark Alexander
George Osborne has said Britain should rejoin the EU customs union, claiming that the country has “gone off a cliff” since Brexit.
The former Tory chancellor, who resigned hours after Lord Cameron following the referendum, said rejoining the trading bloc would be a “straightforward decision” for Andy Burnham.
He told The Independent: “Britain has basically gone off a cliff. It has had a huge impact on the British economy. It is clearly poorer than it would otherwise be.”
His suggested solution was to rejoin the customs union. “It’s a quite simple thing to do. That was never part of the Brexit debate.
“No one knew we were leaving it and it has had a devastating impact on trade,” he said.
He added that Brexiteers had backed leaving the customs union because of “these great trade deals we were going to strike with America”, which he said “looks pretty fanciful now”.\
The former chancellor said: “If I was Andy Burnham, I don’t see why you wouldn’t rejoin the customs union. » | Genevieve Holl-Allen Political Correspondent | Wednesday, September 13, 2026
I see that the ‘great and the good’ are all coming around to my way of thinking now! The UK’s place is, and always has been, inside the European Union. We Britons are Europeans, and the European Union is our home. It is a wonderful, supranational union which has evolved and grown since World War II in order to ensure that there will not be another horrendous war in Europe and to bring about peace, harmony, good relations, and security within Europe, and to foster human rights for ALL. And, very importantly, to bring about prosperity to all in Europe. We Europeans are a family with similar values, similar hopes, and similar dreams and aspirations. — © Mark Alexander
Ursula von der Leyen Invites Canada to Be EU's First 'Associate Member' | DW News
EU Chief Says Canada Should Become First "Associate Member’
Related article and my comment here »
Canada Could Become the E.U.’s First ‘Associate Member’
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the bloc’s executive arm, has invited Ottawa closer as both sides look to navigate complicated geopolitical challenges.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday. Credit: Yves Herman/Reuters
The European Union has invited Canada to work toward becoming the bloc’s first “associate member,” a title meant to underscore Canada’s growing closeness to the 27-nation union in a world of rising geopolitical risk.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, announced the plan on Wednesday during a speech in Strasbourg, France. Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, was at the event and seated directly to Ms. von der Leyen’s left as she made her address.
During the speech, Ms. von der Leyen said, “We must urgently reimagine our partnerships.” Directing her next line to Mr. Carney himself, she added, “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union.”
The declaration was met with a standing ovation from lawmakers, and Mr. Carney and Ms. von der Leyen shook hands warmly as she made the announcement.
Ms. von der Leyen said the proposal was “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.” » | Jeanna Smialek and Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Reporting from Strasbourg, France | Wednesday, September 16, 2026
This is wonderful news! Canada is a wonderful country, and the European Union is a wonderful supranational union. This is the best political and economic news I have heard in a very long time. The only pity—and shame—is that my own country, the UK, stupidly voted to leave the European Union. It is to be hoped that this folly will be reversed as soon as possible.
Footnote: This development shows just how stupid and ridiculous all of Trump’s policies have been. That goes for his ‘war’ on the friendly and honourable Canadians and his ridiculous tariff obsession. Trump is a failure, and the longer it goes on, the more his failures will become evident! That goes for his disruption of international trade with tariffs, his ‘war’ on, and alienation of his closest neighbour, Canada, and his unwinnable, illegal war on Iran.
Americans would do themselves a great favour to be more careful when choosing their leaders. — © Mark Alexander
À LIRE AUSSI : Ursula von der Leyen propose de faire du Canada le « premier membre associé » de l’UE : La présidente de la Commission européenne a proposé, dans son discours au Parlement européen ce mercredi, de renforcer les liens entre l’Union européenne et le Canada en lui accordant un statut inédit. »
LESEN SIE AUCH:
Von der Leyen präsentiert EU-Pläne: Kanada soll „assoziiertes Mitglied“ werden – Nato-ähnlicher Verteidigungsmechanismus für Europa: Die EU-Kommissionspräsidentin betont außerdem, dass das EU-Handelsdefizit mit China wieder ins Gleichgewicht gebracht werden müsse, und schlägt ein Social-Media-Verbot für Kinder unter 13 Jahren vor. »
The European Union has invited Canada to work toward becoming the bloc’s first “associate member,” a title meant to underscore Canada’s growing closeness to the 27-nation union in a world of rising geopolitical risk.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, announced the plan on Wednesday during a speech in Strasbourg, France. Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, was at the event and seated directly to Ms. von der Leyen’s left as she made her address.
During the speech, Ms. von der Leyen said, “We must urgently reimagine our partnerships.” Directing her next line to Mr. Carney himself, she added, “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the European Union.”
The declaration was met with a standing ovation from lawmakers, and Mr. Carney and Ms. von der Leyen shook hands warmly as she made the announcement.
Ms. von der Leyen said the proposal was “not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.” » | Jeanna Smialek and Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Reporting from Strasbourg, France | Wednesday, September 16, 2026
This is wonderful news! Canada is a wonderful country, and the European Union is a wonderful supranational union. This is the best political and economic news I have heard in a very long time. The only pity—and shame—is that my own country, the UK, stupidly voted to leave the European Union. It is to be hoped that this folly will be reversed as soon as possible.
Footnote: This development shows just how stupid and ridiculous all of Trump’s policies have been. That goes for his ‘war’ on the friendly and honourable Canadians and his ridiculous tariff obsession. Trump is a failure, and the longer it goes on, the more his failures will become evident! That goes for his disruption of international trade with tariffs, his ‘war’ on, and alienation of his closest neighbour, Canada, and his unwinnable, illegal war on Iran.
Americans would do themselves a great favour to be more careful when choosing their leaders. — © Mark Alexander
À LIRE AUSSI : Ursula von der Leyen propose de faire du Canada le « premier membre associé » de l’UE : La présidente de la Commission européenne a proposé, dans son discours au Parlement européen ce mercredi, de renforcer les liens entre l’Union européenne et le Canada en lui accordant un statut inédit. »
LESEN SIE AUCH:
Von der Leyen präsentiert EU-Pläne: Kanada soll „assoziiertes Mitglied“ werden – Nato-ähnlicher Verteidigungsmechanismus für Europa: Die EU-Kommissionspräsidentin betont außerdem, dass das EU-Handelsdefizit mit China wieder ins Gleichgewicht gebracht werden müsse, und schlägt ein Social-Media-Verbot für Kinder unter 13 Jahren vor. »
Monday, September 14, 2026
Canada Should Become an EU State in All But Name. Here’s How to Make That a Reality
THE GUARDIAN: From the UK to Japan, so many countries need to quickly be brought inside the European tent without the rigours of full membership
Screenshot taken from this Guardian op-ed. | European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and European Council president Antonio Costa in Brussels in June 2025. Photograph: Olivier Matthys/EPA
The worst conclusion to draw from Iceland’s EU referendum result last month would be that the country, apparently now on Donald Trump’s imperial map along with Canada and Greenland, wanted to distance itself from Europe. Rather, the decision to refuse the reopening of EU accession talks shows that asking voters to choose between membership of the 27-nation bloc and staying outside the club is too binary. Some countries want to be inside the European tent without necessarily becoming members. The EU needs a new status for them.
There are existing models of close cooperation. Iceland and Norway, for example, participate in much of the single market through the European Economic Area (EEA). A range of other partial, gradual or associated membership options for candidate countries is being debated.
What I am proposing is different from any of them. It is not about setting up a stepping stone to accession, nor is it primarily about access to the single market. Instead, it is about letting like-minded countries combine with the EU when geopolitical and geo-economic necessities demand it, without them having to sign up to a predetermined constitutional outcome.
The main criterion for the novel status I call “integrated partnership” would be geopolitical rather than geographical. A country would not have to aspire to EU membership to qualify. It would not even have to be situated in Europe. Iceland, the UK and Norway are obvious potential candidates, but so are Canada, Japan and South Korea. » | Fabian Zuleeg | Monday, September 14, 2026
The worst conclusion to draw from Iceland’s EU referendum result last month would be that the country, apparently now on Donald Trump’s imperial map along with Canada and Greenland, wanted to distance itself from Europe. Rather, the decision to refuse the reopening of EU accession talks shows that asking voters to choose between membership of the 27-nation bloc and staying outside the club is too binary. Some countries want to be inside the European tent without necessarily becoming members. The EU needs a new status for them.
There are existing models of close cooperation. Iceland and Norway, for example, participate in much of the single market through the European Economic Area (EEA). A range of other partial, gradual or associated membership options for candidate countries is being debated.
What I am proposing is different from any of them. It is not about setting up a stepping stone to accession, nor is it primarily about access to the single market. Instead, it is about letting like-minded countries combine with the EU when geopolitical and geo-economic necessities demand it, without them having to sign up to a predetermined constitutional outcome.
The main criterion for the novel status I call “integrated partnership” would be geopolitical rather than geographical. A country would not have to aspire to EU membership to qualify. It would not even have to be situated in Europe. Iceland, the UK and Norway are obvious potential candidates, but so are Canada, Japan and South Korea. » | Fabian Zuleeg | Monday, September 14, 2026
Sunday, September 13, 2026
I'm Extremely Worried by Extremists That Win Elections in Europe: Luxembourg's PM Luc Frieden
Friday, September 04, 2026
Michael Lambert: Why Andy Burnham Can't Save Britain without Europe
Sep 4, 2026 | Andy Burnham is widely seen as competent and decent - but can he actually turn Britain around without confronting Europe?
In this video I argue that unless Burnham faces up to Brexit, any recovery plan is doomed. From trade deals to growth to living standards, Britain is on a downward trajectory that 30 India deals won't fix.
In this video I argue that unless Burnham faces up to Brexit, any recovery plan is doomed. From trade deals to growth to living standards, Britain is on a downward trajectory that 30 India deals won't fix.
Monday, August 31, 2026
‘Trump Pushes Canada Out of NATO?’: Mark Carney Drops Stunning Europe Bomb Amid Tariff War
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Rob Groves: Burnham's Brexit Reset vs the Farage Clause
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Google Hit With $1 Billion Fine for Abusing Its Power in Europe
THE NEW YORK TIMES: At a tense moment for trans-Atlantic trade, the European Union accused Google of anti-competitive business practices.
In a decision likely to intensify trans-Atlantic trade tensions, European Union regulators on Thursday hit Google with a $1 billion fine for illegally undercutting competition through its dominance as a search engine.
President Trump has previously threatened to retaliate against the European Union for what he views as the unfair targeting of American technology companies. The Google decision comes when he is weighing a new batch of tariffs on the European Union and other major trading partners.
In explaining Thursday’s fine of 890 million euros, regulators in Brussels said Google had used its position as the world’s largest search engine to unfairly boost its services in areas like shopping, travel, games and language translation. Google displayed its own services more prominently at the top of search results, while relegating competing services farther down the page, according to regulators.
The European Commission, which conducted the investigation, also concluded that the tech giant used unfair restrictions on its Google Play app store that prevent app developers from communicating with users, or conducting transactions that could reduce the fees Google can collect. » | Adam Satariano and Jeanna Smialek | Adam Satariano reported from London and Jeanna Smialek from Brussels. | Thursday, July 23, 2026
In a decision likely to intensify trans-Atlantic trade tensions, European Union regulators on Thursday hit Google with a $1 billion fine for illegally undercutting competition through its dominance as a search engine.
President Trump has previously threatened to retaliate against the European Union for what he views as the unfair targeting of American technology companies. The Google decision comes when he is weighing a new batch of tariffs on the European Union and other major trading partners.
In explaining Thursday’s fine of 890 million euros, regulators in Brussels said Google had used its position as the world’s largest search engine to unfairly boost its services in areas like shopping, travel, games and language translation. Google displayed its own services more prominently at the top of search results, while relegating competing services farther down the page, according to regulators.
The European Commission, which conducted the investigation, also concluded that the tech giant used unfair restrictions on its Google Play app store that prevent app developers from communicating with users, or conducting transactions that could reduce the fees Google can collect. » | Adam Satariano and Jeanna Smialek | Adam Satariano reported from London and Jeanna Smialek from Brussels. | Thursday, July 23, 2026
Nobody in Europe Knows or Cares What Kemi Badenoch Thinks. That’s a Big Mistake
THE GUARDIAN: The opposition leader wants to pull the UK out of the ECHR, wrecking treaties from the Good Friday agreement to the Gibraltar deal
This screenshot is from this Guardian article. | Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch speaking in Farnborough, Hampshire, 21 July 2026. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Sitting in Brussels, or one of the EU’s 27 chancelleries, one could be forgiven for tuning out the latest psychodramas in Britain’s Conservative party. After all, the country has a new Labour prime minister who is a pro-European keen to build upon the “reset” begun by Keir Starmer. Who cares what a party in opposition thinks about anything when it is still reeling from its landslide 2024 defeat, and languishing third in the opinion polls as it haemorrhages support from its right flank? It is easy to dismiss Kemi Badenoch and her party as a sideshow.
That would be a mistake. Following her latest pronouncements, Badenoch has effectively committed the Conservatives to a policy of conflict, and possibly even rupture, with the EU. She recently suggested in a newspaper article that anyone who opposes her policy of withdrawing from the European convention on human rights (ECHR) or ditching net zero commitments would be considered “not serious”, and thus excluded from consideration as a Conservative candidate at the next election. She then withdrew the party whip (a UK parliamentary euphemism for “kicked out”) from Gavin Barwell, a member of the House of Lords who criticised Badenoch’s stance. Such a choice revives memories of Boris Johnson’s purge of pro-Europeans from the party.
Westminster has mostly viewed this through a domestic lens: a Tory leader prepared to jettison centre-right supporters in the hope of preventing further rightwing defections to Reform UK. What has been missing is the European dimension. Were the Conservatives to return to power – which polls suggest is possible in alliance with Reform UK – Badenoch’s ideological red lines will resurrect the ghost of “no deal” Brexit. » | Simon Nixon | Thursday, July 23, 2026
Kemi Badenoch is yet another very dangerous politician. The Conservatives were mad to make her their leader. Her ideas are unappealing and anti-EU, and she does not have mass appeal. She is no Margaret Thatcher! If I am not greatly mistaken, Kemi Badenoch will end up as yet another failed Conservative leader in a long, recent list of them. And as for her wish to withdraw the UK from the ECHR — well that stinks! By the way, I write as a one-time dyed-in-the-wool Conservative voter. — © Mark Alexander
Sitting in Brussels, or one of the EU’s 27 chancelleries, one could be forgiven for tuning out the latest psychodramas in Britain’s Conservative party. After all, the country has a new Labour prime minister who is a pro-European keen to build upon the “reset” begun by Keir Starmer. Who cares what a party in opposition thinks about anything when it is still reeling from its landslide 2024 defeat, and languishing third in the opinion polls as it haemorrhages support from its right flank? It is easy to dismiss Kemi Badenoch and her party as a sideshow.
That would be a mistake. Following her latest pronouncements, Badenoch has effectively committed the Conservatives to a policy of conflict, and possibly even rupture, with the EU. She recently suggested in a newspaper article that anyone who opposes her policy of withdrawing from the European convention on human rights (ECHR) or ditching net zero commitments would be considered “not serious”, and thus excluded from consideration as a Conservative candidate at the next election. She then withdrew the party whip (a UK parliamentary euphemism for “kicked out”) from Gavin Barwell, a member of the House of Lords who criticised Badenoch’s stance. Such a choice revives memories of Boris Johnson’s purge of pro-Europeans from the party.
Westminster has mostly viewed this through a domestic lens: a Tory leader prepared to jettison centre-right supporters in the hope of preventing further rightwing defections to Reform UK. What has been missing is the European dimension. Were the Conservatives to return to power – which polls suggest is possible in alliance with Reform UK – Badenoch’s ideological red lines will resurrect the ghost of “no deal” Brexit. » | Simon Nixon | Thursday, July 23, 2026
Kemi Badenoch is yet another very dangerous politician. The Conservatives were mad to make her their leader. Her ideas are unappealing and anti-EU, and she does not have mass appeal. She is no Margaret Thatcher! If I am not greatly mistaken, Kemi Badenoch will end up as yet another failed Conservative leader in a long, recent list of them. And as for her wish to withdraw the UK from the ECHR — well that stinks! By the way, I write as a one-time dyed-in-the-wool Conservative voter. — © Mark Alexander
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Rob Groves: Trump vs Europe: A Strategy That Backfired BIG TIME
July 18, 2026 | Liz Truss just brought CPAC to London and barely anyone showed up. It's the perfect image for where Donald Trump's entire strategy for Europe stands right now.
Seven months after his National Security Strategy laid out the plan to back "patriotic European parties" across the continent, I go through exactly how it's collapsed: Orbán's landslide defeat in Hungary, Romania rejecting a Trump-aligned candidate, Giorgia Meloni's public feud with Trump over a G7 photo, Jordan Bardella refusing to share a CPAC stage with Steve Bannon, and Germany's AfD quietly edging away too.
Excellent, hard hitting, and so very true. — © Mark Alexander
Seven months after his National Security Strategy laid out the plan to back "patriotic European parties" across the continent, I go through exactly how it's collapsed: Orbán's landslide defeat in Hungary, Romania rejecting a Trump-aligned candidate, Giorgia Meloni's public feud with Trump over a G7 photo, Jordan Bardella refusing to share a CPAC stage with Steve Bannon, and Germany's AfD quietly edging away too.
Excellent, hard hitting, and so very true. — © Mark Alexander
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