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.
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.
What a weird take on this.
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.
The mental gymnastics are almost impressive
They will never invite a non-white majority country to have the same associate status, except maybe Japan, since they’d be grandfathered in by Germany.
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.
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.
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.