At a meeting of EU ambassadors last night, Simon Mordue, Ursula von der Leyen’s chief diplomatic adviser, described the proposal to offer “associate membership” to Canada as a “blank sheet of paper”, according to multiple EU diplomats I spoke to.
Still, he gave some pointers as to what von der Leyen meant when she first floated the idea in her State of the EU speech last month, catching Europe’s governments off guard and prompting accusations that she spoke “off the cuff” and was “making it up as she went along.”
The Commission said that cooperation would focus on energy, critical raw materials and industrial policy, backed by more regular political talks and also pitched an EU-Canada Business Council.
According to a first draft of the joint statement seen by Rapporteur, Canada could work towards participation in the EU’s Horizon research programme, while the two sides could launch negotiations on Canadian participation in Galileo and Erasmus+.
Brussels and Ottawa are also looking at deeper cooperation on AI, trusted data flows and digital governance.
“Our partnership may become a model for other countries seeking friendship in a challenging world,” the joint draft statement stated.
The EU and Canada will also be exploring cooperation on Canadian critical-mineral supplies to Europe, possible stockpiling of strategic resources and a long-term feasibility study into Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to the EU.
Canada has cautioned against putting a formal label on the arrangement before its contours are clear.
The joint statement is expected to evolve into a more fleshed-out proposal as national capitals and the Canadian side provide input and help shape its final contours. A deeper discussion is then expected in the coming weeks.
Exclusive: Commissioners before membership
Countries such as Montenegro and Albania could send a commissioner to Brussels before formally joining the EU, under new plans being considered by the European Commission.
Top EU officials are considering ramping up the level of involvement new members will have during the final stage of their journey, usually a long and vexed process, into the bloc, according to draft documents seen by Rapporteur.
The idea would offer candidate countries greater involvement after they sign an accession treaty but before all 27 EU countries complete national ratification – a process that could take years, especially if elections next year change Europe’s political landscape. Read Magnus and Eddy’s full story.
Swedish solutions to Brussels’ gang violence
Sweden’s Nordic neighbours decried the “Swedish condition”, a shorthand term for the surge in deadly gangland violence. Now, gang-related shootings in Sweden have fallen by 80% after years of rising violence, Gunnar Strömmer, the Swedish justice minister, told me.
Here in Belgium, Brussels is now confronted with its own variant of the malaise. The Belgian capital recorded more than 100 shootings in 2025. By the end of August this year, there had already been more than 65 shootings.
“It’s not natural law that a society must suffer forever under deadly violence related to criminal gangs,” Strömmer said. The minister said that the Swedish recipe was a more preventive, aggressive approach, with expanded surveillance, restrictions on dangerous gang members, better information-sharing, and tougher action against criminal assets.
“It matters what you do, and if you are prepared to do things that you have not really done before.”
Greece wants teeth in EU migration tool
EU home affairs ministers are in Luxembourg today to debate what they want from the Commission’s proposed “European Emergency Response Framework”. This is a new tool floated last month to help countries respond to sudden mass arrivals of migrants.
The debate comes as ministers grapple with the situation in Ceuta and the wider pressure on the Schengen area. Spain is also expected to provide a debrief on the situation in the Spanish enclave. Last week, Spanish authorities estimated 3,000–3,500 migrants remained on Ceuta’s streets.
Greece wants the proposal to go further. Athens is pushing for the EU’s new emergency tool to allow the temporary suspension of asylum procedures in situations such as Ceuta, as well as in response to hybrid threats. Leaders will discuss migration at EUCO this month.
S&D revolts over EU budget
The European Parliament’s political groups agreed to get their ducks in a row if they want to stick to their November deadline for agreeing a position on the EU’s next long-term budget, officials and MEPs told me and my colleague Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro.
Socialist leader Iratxe García is facing trouble within her own group. Cristina Mestre, the Spanish Socialist MEP in charge, is siding with the far-right to block progress in the agriculture committee over a proposed single budget fund including farm subsidies, as Rapporteur first reported. She declined to comment.
MEPs have pledged to finalise their position by November, with negotiations with EU governments due to kick off early next year, assuming European leaders can stick to their own December summit deadline amid deepening splits between national capitals.
García declined to address the tensions. “We’re focused on what matters right now: defending Parliament’s position,” she told Rapporteur.
With Roberta Metsola due to face EU leaders at a summit in two weeks, pressure is mounting.
Here are three new stories from Rapporteur:
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