Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Tuesday she wants Canada inside the EU. "I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU," the European Commission president said in Strasbourg, with Prime Minister Mark Carney sitting in the chamber listening to her say it.
Add Canada to the 27 and you get 493 million people producing $23.6 trillion a year — 151 million more people than the United States. That is a third great power, and with China, India and Russia the world now runs on five instead of one. Each is strong in a different thing. None is strong in everything.
No associate membership exists in the EU treaties. The Commission did not consult the 27 capitals, and their governments are cool on the idea. Carney said on Sunday he is not seeking membership. He already took the part that pays: in February Canada joined the EU's €150 billion SAFE defence fund, the first non-European country ever admitted, seven months before anybody offered a seat.
Below: what each of the five empires actually holds, the one thing each is missing, and the single number that kills every "China overtakes America" headline written before 2022.
