“A category that doesn’t exist yet”: Experts discuss proposed EU associate status for Canada

According to Euronews, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that Canada has been invited to become the first "associate member" of the EU[2]. The outlet reported that the status is an entirely new one, with details yet to be made clear.[2]Dal News reports that experts discussed the proposal on Sept. 22 in a workshop hosted by the Jean Monnet European Union Centre of Excellence (JMEUCE).[1]Zaiotti, the centre's director, told Dal News that the status would offer "something deeper,"[1] including "access to, among other things, a single market and deepened security cooperation."[1] According to Dal News, he also warned of a loss of sovereignty over final decision making on a series of policy areas[1], saying "the rules that constitute the single market will be made in Brussels."[1] Noah Fry, a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow, said "Europe has not fully ratified CETA"[1]. He added that "Since CETA's provisional implementation, Canadian exports to the EU haven't changed much.[1]Meanwhile, EU imports to Canada have risen substantially."[1] President Donald Trump called the proposal "laughable"[3] and threatened severe new tariffs on Europe. The CFR also reported that several EU governments were reportedly furious that they had not been consulted beforehand[3].Al Jazeera reports that the two sides are expected to keep fleshing out the relationship in the coming weeks, including at a Canada-EU summit in Montreal[4].