A dispute over the EU’s future relationship with Canada is exposing a widening rift between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to four diplomats cited by POLITICO.
Berlin opposes von der Leyen’s proposal to describe Canada as an “associate member” of the EU. Tensions grew after she used the term at a summit in Montreal, hours after a German-led effort removed it from a joint statement approved by the bloc’s 27 member states.
Merz had previously suggested associate status for Ukraine as a step toward full EU membership. That proposal was rejected, including by Kyiv. Officials in Berlin now view von der Leyen’s use of the same label for Canada as a rebuke of the German chancellor’s initiative.
The disagreement is also about what the term would mean. Under von der Leyen’s definition, associate membership for Canada would apply to a country that could not become a full EU member. It would not be an intermediate step toward accession or bring benefits such as observer status in the European Council, two EU diplomats told POLITICO.
Berlin reiterated its opposition at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, according to two diplomats. A person familiar with von der Leyen’s thinking said she had no intention of dropping the label. The Commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said the two sides were focused on building on the foundations agreed at the recent summit and shared the same basic aims for EU-Canada relations. A German diplomat likewise said both sides had committed to a distinctive partnership with Canada.
The dispute reflects broader differences over how the EU should be governed. Berlin has said it will not approve the Commission’s proposed long-term budget of around €2 trillion unless “hundreds of billions” are cut. Von der Leyen’s proposal for a European Security Council has also failed to gain traction in Germany, whose government has backed a separate format with France and the U.K. for sensitive matters related to Ukraine.
Jan Techau, head of Germany for the Eurasia Group and a former speechwriter for the German defense ministry, described the divide as an institutional dilemma. He said von der Leyen has taken a strongly integrationist approach, while Merz has increasingly presented national governments as the main drivers of EU policy.
Techau said the two leaders share views on many issues, including closer ties with Canada, but that the dispute illustrates their different priorities. The wider question, he said, is whether the EU should be led more by its common institutions or by its national governments.
Sources: Politico Europe.