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Canada, coffins and confessionals

November 2, 2026 · 18 min

Show notes

The jet lag has barely worn off, but Brussels is already grappling with what its new relationship with Canada could actually look like.

After the 48-hour whirlwind EU-Canada summit in Montreal, Prime Minister Mark Carney has given the EU six months to hash out what “associate membership” actually means. On the show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack the deals struck at the summit and what lies ahead for the relations between the two powers.

Next, after last month's unwieldy European Council summit drew criticism of its president, Antonio Costa, he's doubling down on his push to secure a budget by 2027. This week, his head of cabinet Pedro Lourtie will be holding so-called “confessionals” with national governments to get a sense of where they stand.

And finally, Europe’s coffin makers are afraid Chinese competitors could be the death of their business.

Questions, comments? Please write in! Find us on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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This episode was produced by Saga Ringmar.

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