EU backs plan for Canada to become 'associate member'

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0:39Hello and welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service. We're coming to you live from London. I'm James Menendez. And coming up a little later, we'll be getting reaction from New York to the decision by the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, the first time it's done so in more than three years. That's in about 15 minutes. But we are going to begin today with an idea, a proposal that perhaps could only have emerged at a time when the world seems to be in a state of upheaval. A pitch by Canada to deepen ties with the European Union, several thousand kilometres away across the North Atlantic, and deepen them to the extent that both Ottawa and Brussels are talking about Canada becoming an associate member of the bloc.

1:21Here's the president of the European Commission, that's the EU's executive arm, Ursula von der Leyen, giving her Sarah sent to the idea at a meeting of the European Parliament today with the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney looking on. This is not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength. In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible. And dear Mark, I said we must urgently re-imagine our partnerships. So I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to being the first associate member of the European Union. She also said the EU and Canada saw the world with the same eyes.

2:12You don't have to read too far between the lines to see an acknowledgement of the growing distance between Canada and its neighbour and biggest trading partner by far, the United States. a distance prized open by repeated jibes from President Trump, like this one from March 2025. You know, the United States can't subsidise a country for$200 billion a year. We don't need their cars. We don't need their energy. We don't need their lumber. We don't need anything that they that they get. We do it because we want to be helpful. But it comes a point when you just can't do that. You have to run your own country.

2:50And to be honest with you, Canada only works as a state. It doesn't. We don't need anything they have as a state. It would be one of the great states anyway. This would be the most incredible country visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it between Canada and the U.S. Just a straight artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago, many, many decades ago, and makes no sense. It's so perfect as a great and cherished state. So what would associate membership of the EU look like? There is no precedent for it in the EU statutes, and the details at the moment are pretty vague.

3:32I've been speaking to Javier Moreno-Sanchez, member of the European Parliament for Spain's Governing Socialist Party, who leads the Parliament's Canada delegation. I think it's a positive step. As I always say, Canadians are the more European people outside Europe. We have to work with like-minded countries as Canada. We have to shape. We have to shape this alliance for the future. She calls for Canada to be the first associate member. It doesn't exist in the reality but it's up to us and the canadian together to to shape that it's very important and some people say that but it's not in the treaties it doesn't exist and i remind these people that the euro was not in the treaties schengen was not in the treaties the pandemic with the covid health is not a european competence but when there is the political willingness we can do it yeah well in your mind though what sort of relationship does it look like i mean what's likely to be the substance?

4:33Is it just going to be an expanded trading relationship, do you think? I don't think so, because now we have to finalise, to ratify the CETA. We have this relationship. We have just to ratify, because there are still 10 countries we have to ratify. Yeah, just to be clear for our listeners, that's the EU-Canada trade deal, that still hasn't been ratified by 10 countries, has it? Yes, exactly, exactly. So that's the first step we have to do. And as a member of the European Parliament, we have to convince our counterparts in the national parliaments in order to do that. But I think we have a lot of challenge together on energy, on defence, on digital sector.

5:13So, I mean, some countries are reported to be worried that this new relationship will antagonise the US president and antagonise that president unnecessarily. I mean, I'm suspecting that that's not Spain's position, but it may well be other countries' position. Yes, but as you know, as always in the European Union, there are countries who are more scared, other less. But I think it's the moment to show and to show the Trump administration that we want to work together. And it doesn't mean that we will cut the relationship with the US. No, no. But it's something different and it's not exclusive.

5:52We can work with the US, but also with Canada, with UK, with all the countries who want to work with us. What would you say, though, to those countries that haven't ratified the existing trade agreement, who say, look, we don't want an even close economic relationship because we're worried about our own markets and our own manufacturers and so on? But, you know, there is 10 different cases. And sometimes there are objections because of internal politics, like in France, for example. And, for example, in Greece, the petachis is the problem. There are 10 different cases. But I think that in these countries, we have to show that it's the momentum.

6:30It's the moment to do that because we are in a very complex and difficult geopolitical and geoeconomic world. So we have to work together. Right. So is it going to be a relationship of substance or is this more about symbolism, do you think? We start with symbolism. My way is to start with assemblies and to finish with action, really concrete things. Because I often travel to Canada. They want to have a closer cooperation and to be working more with us. Here in the Union, some people say, oh, Canada, Canada. Now everybody speaks about Canada. Here in the Parliament, we have Prime Minister Carney today and tomorrow.

7:10Canada is the star at this moment. But OK, now it's the symbol, it's the world, and we have to go now to action. One of the concrete things is, as I said, the digital agreement. But, you know, there is a convention for the architects who has just been ratified and will be entering into force now. And what I ask, for example, is to do that for doctors, professors, in order to have this mobility. And because it's positive, Canada, they want to participate in Erasmus Plus. And they will participate also with money on the program Horizon also. So we have to make very concrete steps. Yeah. Can I just ask you one final question?

7:51I mean, you did mention the UK at the beginning. I just wonder, I mean, when the Commission talks about a unique alliance with Canada, I mean, I don't know how that's going to go down in London, but wouldn't it be better just to try and improve the relationship after Brexit with Britain, given that Britain is next door? No. I mean, Canada's several thousand miles away. Really, I hope that they will boost the relationship with UK. This kind of thing, they will boost. They say, okay, we will do it also with UK. And there is another option. UK has the open door to come back. Right. It's my personal vision.

8:33For me, it's easy. I know for UK, it's more difficult. But for me, it's easy. Come back and we start working as in the past. Javier Moreno-Sanchez, MEP for Spain's Governing Socialist Party, who leads the Parliament's Canada delegation. Well, Kate Harrison is an activist in Canada's conservative movement. She's a partner with the public affairs company Summa Strategies. What does she think about Canada potentially becoming an associate member of the EU? Well, I think it's hard for a lot of conservatives right now to know what to think about it. obviously associate member status is a concept that's really only come to the fore in Canada over the last few days.

9:16And our prime minister had suggested that that would not be something that we would be pursuing. Obviously, Ms. von der Leyen, when she stood up today, said otherwise. And so I think that there's some discussion about what it may or may not mean. And the frustration from the Conservative side is not from deeper integration and coordination with Europe, far from it, but it's what that membership may entail or not. Does this have an impact on things like labour mobility and regulatory impacts? And really, a lot of Canadians would like to hear from our Prime Minister about these things in Canada, rather than waiting for his speech tomorrow.

9:55Yeah, maybe it is, certainly at this stage, just a bit of symbolism, given the hostility from across the border in the United States. Is it so bad that Canada's looking for new, perhaps more reliable partners? I don't think that it is a bad thing, and many Conservatives would agree to diversify and to find those partnerships. But I would question what about an associate membership status with the EU would yield in terms of new cooperation that doesn't already exist. We already have significant trade dealings with Europe. We are collaborative on items related to defence and security. So what is it in particular that this would yield?

10:33The things that have come up as examples have to do with things like labour mobility. Well, does that mean that there would be an impact on jobs here in Canada? So this is not about an inability or a lack of desire to diversify, because, of course, the situation with the United States has forced that question very bluntly for many Canadians. but what is it about the membership that would be any different than what we have today? And perhaps we should be focusing our efforts on deepening and strengthening the trade agreements. We do have CETA remains unratified by many of the member countries in the EU and so perhaps that would be a better focus of our government's efforts as opposed to chasing associate member status.

11:14So essentially you're worried that the EU may be thinking or at least the Commission may be thinking there's more in it for us than there is for Canada? Well, I mean, the benefits to Canadians from our perspective and my perspective have not been made clear. You know, when we talk about things like regulatory harmonisation, the nature of our relationship and proximity to the United States, of course, most of our regulatory environment is meant to mimic what is happening with whom we do a significant bulk of our trade, 80 % of our trade. Would an associate membership status require a look at, for example, GDPR, which is something that Canada has steadfastly avoided, largely because of the nature of our relationship with the United States and the integration there?

12:01So I think that the benefits are not clear. I think for some Canadians, it means the ability to travel more freely to places like Brits and Italy, et cetera. But there are many more Canadians for whom those benefits are not immediately known. Yeah. And just in the last minute, I mean, is there a geopolitical advantage to this closer relationship, given the way the US has, in many people's eyes, undermined NATO, for example? Well, I think that we should be pursuing two tracks. We should be pursuing a stable relationship with the United States with whom we do the majority of our trade. And obviously, as your listeners know, we're in a protracted trade battle with the United States that is proposing significant economic harm here.

12:45But I don't think that deeper integration to Europe should be a knee-jerk reaction to what is transpiring right now with Donald Trump and the White House. And certainly the longevity of a partnership with the EU and integration with European countries really should look beyond the immediacy of who is currently in the White House. So I think for a lot of Canadians to buy into this, we should be looking at two tracks here and pursuing stability with both countries and diversification, rather than just having what happens with the EU be a reaction to the United States. Kate Harrison, an activist in Canada's conservative movement.

13:23You're listening to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.

13:35Still to come on the programme, what now for Ed Sheeran's North American tour after all his support acts pull out after one of them was dropped for making pro-Palestinian comments? We'll ask the singer Billy Bragg, no stranger to political statements himself, what he makes of the situation. I think you have to ask yourself about Ed Sheeran's motives. I mean, he can't have not known that Macklemore was going to say free Palestine on his tour. And I think by putting Macklemore on the bill, he was hoping to get a bit of the kudos that goes with edgy music without actually committing to it himself.

14:07And it's blown up in its face in the worst way. Also this hour, the US Federal Reserve's raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years to combat inflation, despite pressure from President Trump for a cut. More on that in just a moment. And the World Health Organization says there are signs that the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa is improving, with transmission declining in the province where it began.

14:36This is James Menendez with NewsHour live from the BBC. Well, as we've been hearing, the US Federal Reserve, the country's central bank, has put up interest rates for the first time in more than three years. So why? A question for the BBC's Samira Hussain, who's in New York. Well, the Federal Reserve has cited inflation as being the primary driver for why it increased the rate of borrowing by a quarter percentage point. Now, although the Federal Reserve sees the U.S. economy still going at a pretty healthy clip that the economic growth is strong, some of the fundamentals remain strong, it is geopolitical factors that are really driving up inflation.

15:16And without saying so, perhaps, or presumably rather, hinting towards the war in Iran. And if you look at the rate of inflation in the United States, it sits at 3.4%. But the reading before February, before the war, was hovering around 2.4 % to 2.6%. So you can see that that increase has been quite dramatic in terms of inflation. And so now the Federal Reserve is saying, OK, we're going to try and tackle that. How is President Trump likely to react? Presumably he's not going to be pleased. I mean, he kind of wanted Kevin Walsh, the new Fed chairman. He wanted him in that job because he thought he might cut rates, didn't he?

15:57Right, and that, I think, is really interesting. And I think a lot of people are waiting to hear from the White House. And it's because the Federal Reserve chair that preceded Mr Walsh, that is Jerome Powell, faced a host of criticisms from President Trump for not cutting interest rates. President Trump firmly believed that he needed to cut rates that the U.S. economy could withstand it. And of course, the president wants to do that because cutting rates will, in his mind, will spur economic growth. And so he handpicked Kevin Warsh to lead America's Central Bank in the hopes that he'd get what he wanted.

16:36And so what this really shows is that the Federal Reserve, and in particular Mr. Warsh, has a really delicate balance to sort of walk here between doing what the president wants, but also doing right by the US economy. And so what will the effect be on people? I mean, clearly, inflation and the rising cost of living is a concern for consumers. But I mean, it's going to mean higher borrowing costs, isn't it? It is going to mean higher borrowing costs. But when you hear Kevin Warsh speaking about it, he says that the biggest impact will be on lower income individuals who are paying so much more.

17:16Look, if you look at in terms of how much it costs to borrow money right now, the Federal Reserve rate really is more about talking banks to banks. And there does have an impact on interest rates for the consumer. But that sort of comes a little bit further down the line. What really has been driving these high rates has been the bond yields, which have hit two decade highs. And that's really been driving the cost for getting out mortgages or car loans. Those you've seen has really been spiking. And so that's been a real big concern. And bond markets have really been reacting to the high rate of inflation.

17:56And now that the Federal Reserve has acted, that might bring some confidence back to those. The BBC's Samira Hussain joining us from New York.

18:09Now, here's something that's bound to provoke some arguments. What's the best kind of pizza? Neapolitan, Roman, New York, Chicago? And who makes the best pizza? Well, we all have our local favourites, but the jury, or rather a jury, has voted and the results are in. This year's best pizzeria, as decided by 50 Top Pizza World 2026, an annual online guide from Italy, is not there, but here in London. It's called Napoli on the Road, and its three branches, as the name suggests, serve classic Neapolitan pizza with its charred doughy crust. We sent news hours Adriana Urbano, who is herself Italian, along to our nearby branch of Napoli on the Road, to sample it.

18:53So I'm now in central London at Napoli on the road in Soho. Its sister branch has been crowned best pizzeria in the world and I'm here to eat the pizza that helped them get there. So here they are, two Napoli-style pizzas with their thick borders and a nice thin base that I have been assured will not flop. The first one I will be trying is a classic margarita, but I've also ordered a ricordo d 'infanzia. It's a pizza whose name means childhood memory. It's got ragù, parmigiano fondue, and a lot of extra parmigiano shaving on top. The margarita first. Now, I have lived 21 years of my life in Italy, and this is a very good, tasty pizza.

19:42The buffalo mozzarella is very stringy. It's got a lovely texture in the dough, and there's a nice, thick border. and now Ricordo d 'Infanzia, the award-winning pizza. It's got a lovely thick ragu base, just like the kind of ragu Italians would eat up and down the country as part of many Sunday meals. I have to say, I can see where the hype is coming from. Well, the restaurants are the passion project of Michele Pascarella, who learned his trade as a boy in Campania, the Italian region that's home to Naples, before moving to London. So how's he feeling about the award? Still can't believe it's just happened.

20:23I'm very, very happy. And of course, I'm very, very proud also about the team. We got like 90 people that work with us. So we are very proud of what we achieved, actually, yes. And what was it like receiving the award in Naples? For many people, the home of pizza. I was like singing the song, it's finally coming home. We won Best Pizzeria in Europe for three years in a row. So best pizzeria in Europe, but outside Italy. But this time we won best pizzeria in the world, including Italy. So it was very, very, very beautiful. Why are you the best pizzeria in the world? What is it that makes your pizza so good?

21:03We are like always trying to evolve our product. We focus on really high quality ingredients. We change our menu every three months. And, you know, lots of restaurants and pizzeria. just think about pizza is a fast food, but pizza is like a serious thing. And we will love and I think we did very good to explain to our customers that we are doing something different on the pizza. My colleague Adriana has been down to one of your pizzerias and she brought back, I think the pizza that won the best pizza last year in the world, which is called Memories of Childhood. Just tell us about this one. It's got a sort of ragu sauce, hasn't it?

21:42As you say, it's like childhood memories, because when I was working till late in Naples, I was always waking up so late on Sunday morning with my brothers. We were going to the kitchen and we were dipping bread inside the ragu as a breakfast. I'm talking about childhood. I mean, you started very young. I mean, you were, what, 11 when you started making pizzas? Yeah, I would say, unfortunately, yes. I was curious about the job and also I was a little bit on a necessity because I wanted to be always independent. and after school I was going to the pizzeria. At the age of 13, I was already making like 300, 400 pizzas per day.

22:19Wow. I mean, did you feel like you missed out on a bit of your childhood because you were working or was this just, this was a passion for you? Yeah, it became a passion then, but I feel like I lose a lot of my childhood memories actually. I never stopped working then, even after the school. Then when I was 18, I moved to London, but I never actually had time for myself to enjoy that part of life. In a way, it was good because I grew up a little bit faster than my friends and achieved a lot of things, but it's half and half, yeah. I need to ask you a provocative question. Pineapple on a pizza, yes or no?

22:58No, of course. No, of course, no hesitation on this. You know, I really hate people. they just open a tin of fresh pineapple and just slap on a pizza honestly. So what next? World domination or are you going to keep it small? No, we're going to keep it small because I don't want to lose the quality. But for sure, we're going to do lots of collabs around the world, but not any more pizzeria. Michele Pascarella, whose pizzeria has just been named the best in the world. You're listening to NewsHour. Do stay with us. Lots more coming up.

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23:57You're listening to News Hour. Let's get an update now on the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has claimed more than 3 ,400 lives and infected thousands of other people. Today, the World Health Organization suggested that a corner had been turned in efforts to curb the rate of infection. And that's before a vaccine for the latest strain has been approved for use. Leanna Byrne has been looking at what it takes to develop a vaccine and who pays for it. This outbreak is caused by the Bundy Bugio virus for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment but developing one is not only a scientific challenge someone has to pay A Bundy Bugio vaccine would not have a predictable annual market It may sit in a stockpile waiting for an outbreak That makes it a difficult business proposition Rachel Glenister is president of the Centre for Global Development These vaccines are incredibly valuable to society but not very profitable for companies.

24:58First, most people who will benefit from the Ebola vaccine will never actually take it. So think of all the people in communities and countries that it doesn't spread to because of the vaccine. There's no way that firms can charge them because they never take the vaccine. The first widely used Ebola vaccine shows how public money can help create that market. Eribo was developed by Canadian scientists. Gavi works with both the public and private sector. It's committed$7 million for 70 ,000 Eribo doses in the DRC and is offering up to$40 million for Bundybogio-specific vaccines. David Kinder is Gavi's Director of Development Finance.