Canada spat exposes widening rift between Merz and von der Leyen

A dispute over what to call the EU’s future relationship with Canada is deepening a split between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, four diplomats told POLITICO. Berlin and Brussels are at loggerheads over von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada an “associate member” of the EU, with tensions worsening after the Commission president touted the phrase at a summit in Montreal — just hours after a German-led push removed the wording from a joint statement approved by 27 EU capitals. Merz previously floated “associate member” as a status for Ukraine, as it works toward fully joining the bloc.