Von der Leyen makes it awkward with Canada

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney takes the stage in Strasbourg after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen surprised EU capitals by floating “associate membership” for Canada — a status that doesn’t actually exist, and that Ottawa itself seems reluctant to define.

Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton ask whether von der Leyen got ahead of both member countries and the Canadians, and what Carney’s speech could tell us about how close the two sides really want to get.

Then, Germany’s Friedrich Merz faces a potentially decisive weekend as pressure grows on his leadership.

And finally, why is the EU still allowing plastic waste exports to Turkey despite its own assessment warning of serious environmental problems?

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