Canada's push to join the European Union reveals a mountain of problems within Europe - Politico The recent EU-Canada summit in Montreal marked the beginning of a new phase of rapprochement between Brussels and Ottawa, but behind diplomatic statements about a strategic partnership hides the need to determine the true parameters of future relations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has given European partners six months to develop the specific content of Canada's "associate membership" of the European Union. For Brussels, this proposal raises the question of how far the parties are willing to go in institutional rapprochement and what duties will accompany the new format of cooperation. At the same time, the struggle continues within the European Union over the formulation of the next multi-annual budget. European Council President Antonio Costa, facing criticism after an unproductive summit in October, aims to agree on budgetary parameters by 2027. To that end, his chief of staff, Pedro Loretti, will hold a series of closed individual consultations with representatives of national governments, known informally in Brussels as "confession rooms". This type of negotiation illustrates the difficulty of finding a compromise between member states, each of which strives to protect its financial interests and prevent an excessive distribution of budget resources. Another challenge for the European economy is the growing pressure of Chinese manufacturers on traditional industries. This time it is European coffin manufacturers who are expressing concern, fearing that rising Chinese imports will endanger the competitiveness of local businesses and lead to a further reduction in production capacity.