Ursula von der Leyen’s invitation yesterday to Canada to become the “first associate member” of the European Union was the headline-grabbing moment in her annual set-piece state of the union speech.
The invitation, which should be welcomed by Ireland, is the prerogative not of the EU Commission president but of member states. But the offer, which went down well among MEPs in Strasbourg and got a smiling though ambiguous nod from Canadian prime minister Mark Carney in the front row, represents an important and timely pointer to the EU’s geopolitical orientation.
Canada has shown a willingness to stand up robustly to trade bullying, not to mention threats of annexation, by US president Donald Trump. And Carney has spoken of the need for middle-ranking states to band together as a counterbalance to pressure from hegemons. Von der Leyen’s offer was a strong statement of solidarity and a recommitment to shared values that will no doubt annoy Trump.
The novel concept of associate membership could also provide a useful mechanism for closer, semi-detached links short of membership for other states like the UK, Norway or Iceland.
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European security, both military and economic, was von der Leyen’s principal theme. She emphasised the need for collective action as the only effective defence against Russian aggression and climate change, as well as meeting the challenge of closing the investment gap highlighted by Mario Draghi’s landmark report on competitiveness.
Now in the second year of her second term, the president spoke of the need to create a European security council and to reinforce defensive capabilities. She announced that next year’s 70th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome would be marked by a major “congress of Europe” to chart a course for the union. The latter may well provoke apprehension from Ireland if, as seems likely, it were to evolve into a treaty change vehicle.
The commission will legislate to limit children’s access to social media. “We are reversing the burden of proof,” said von der Leyen. “Platforms will have to prove to us that they are safe.” And she warned the US that the EU is determined to regulate AI: “We want AI. We want AI to create more value, more responsibly. And at a lower cost and with less energy consumption. But above all, we want AI with human agency.”
Von der Leyen barely touched on the union’s key internal issue and the Irish presidency’s biggest challenge: the need to broker agreement on the next multi-annual budget. With so many new demands, from defence to immigration, and the clear unwillingness of many member states to expand it further, new means of raising money collectively are required, she said. Easier said than done.
