191
EU 'opening door' for Canada to become associate member (www.rte.ie)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/world@lemmy.world
20 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said ⁠the European Union is opening the door for Canada to become the first associate member, a status that does not exist under the bloc's ‌treaties.

all 20 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [S] 32 points 1 month ago (7 children)

It's just occurred to me that if Europe is successful in creating this new status, it could also serve as a stopgap status to offer Ukraine until Ukraine meets the requirements for full membership.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 7 child comments
    •
  • [–] 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Could also be applied to the UK and Switzerland, if they wanted it. Though in a more permanent way that's similar to how they would use it for Canada, not the same way as for Ukraine.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 7 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Unlikely to include Switzerland; they seem to prefer to keep each agreement separate and subject to periodic renewal. Seems unnecessarily awkward to me, but that's how the Swiss like it, I guess.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago

    There is one defining aspect to the Swiss, and that is amoral greed. No involvements or entanglements with anyone or anything if it can at all be avoided, no responsibility to say no to any corrupt source of money. The corrupt, morally bankrupt but otherwise very solvent tax oasis for Europe, always ready and willing to take in anyone and anything with money. Nazi politicians looking to avoid the consequences of their policies, russian oligarch money, saudis, you name it. All are welcome as long as nobody does anything that would force the Swiss to take a stand.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
    • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    Good. This helps protect Canada from the US. Also, if there is a civil war in America, refugees can use Canada as a way to get to Europe. Many innocent lives would be saved by that possibility.

    Speaking for myself as an American, I like the idea of being able to visit Canada and to spend my Euros over there, if the need arises. I swapped my life savings of American Dollars into Euros, since I am expecting a Greater Depression to be in the works. Not being destitute is a comforting thought for me.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    Sorry to piss into the punchbowl, but just getting asylum in one EU country does not entitle anyone to live in the rest. Also, even if Canada gets in Schengen, mass migration events cause border checks to come back, even now.

    If you can get full Canadian citizenship, that's another matter.

    Joining the Eurozone is also something that takes a decade at least, a lot of EU countries still have their own currency despite joining in the last millennium.

    So there is no real possibility of a US mass migration event to Europe, especially with the politics the current US elite is funding in Europe.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
    • [+] -24 points 1 month ago (9 children)

    Next they'll accept Japan as "honorary Aryans Europeans"

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 22 points 1 month ago (8 children)

    What a weird take on this.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
    •
  • [+] -13 points 1 month ago* (7 children)

    Making this kind of special status for Canada, a country that is very obviously not in Europe and is basically on the opposite side of the planet and has zero geographic connection to Europe, is transparently about Canada being a white settler colony.

    Why not Egypt? We know why.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 7 child comments
    •
  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    In 2026 the answer is very clearly "because Egypt is a military dictatorship".

    Associate membership status would have been amazing as a democracy-stabilizing force in a few Arab Spring democracies during the 2010s. The example I'm mostly thinking of is 2011-2019 Tunisia, which actually had a chance at becoming a real democracy.

    Precedent: In 1974, the perspective for EU membership was a major stabilizing factor for the nascent Greek democracy, and locking it in 1981 was basically the masterstroke for the 3rd Greek Republic to stay democratic. Those 7 years were crucial. Similar stories for Portugal and Spain, after their own dictatorships.

    A similar window for the democracies of Tunisia and Egypt came and went and the EU failed miserably at throwing them a lifeline. But one can still dream. A post-apartheid Palestine/Israel for example might be a fantastic candidate for something like this, especially if Lebanon and Turkey join the process at the same time.

    We have to still beat back the latest wave of fascism, and we shouldn't sell the bearskin before hunting down the bear. But one can dream.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] -1 points 1 month ago* (3 children)

    There was never a window for Tunisia and Egypt, because they aren't white.

    EU associate status is exclusively for white-majority countries. Over the next ten years I expect them to offer it to more and more associate members, this seems like a good way to grow the EU's power, but we'll see the same preference for whiteness as we see here.

    If Israel lasts into the next decade they'll probably get a spot.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    You can call it "white majority" if you want to be cynical, or you could also call it compatibility with a country that was pretty much built (in current incarnation) with a strong origin in European immigration, and still has many citizens who have strong roots/ties back to Europe with strong overlaps in law and common culture. The origin influences the skin color yeah but that doesn't mean the skin color itself is the deciding factor.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] -2 points 1 month ago*

    The idea that there's some kind of "European" culture is racist gibberish. Europe is made up of many cultures and languages and national identities, it wasn't that long ago that they couldn't stop killing each other, and now you want me to believe there's something that unifies all Europeans that doesn't apply equally to countries in Asia or Africa?

    The idea that Europe even exists is racist. It's not a real continent, just look at it! It's an Asian subcontinent, but Europeans were too racist to share a continent with Asians, so they made up "Europe" for their maps.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago

    Well, yes, that is the obvious but cynical trajectory. But I'm getting tired of cynicism. It's too easy. I'd much rather normalize utopian thinking and talk as if the solarpunk Mediterranean union is a real possibility. Only things that can be imagined can be built.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent