Britain’s pro-Europeans could be forgiven for feeling a tinge of jealousy as Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada – a nation more than 1,000 miles from the EU – had the red-carpet rolled out for him in Strasbourg this week.
Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, soaked up a standing ovation at the European Parliament on Thursday as he welcomed an unprecedented idea to make his country, on the other side of an ocean, an “associate member” of the EU.
Britain, meanwhile, which has a land border with the EU, has been locked in tortuous negotiations with the bloc since Labour came to power over a Brexit “reset”. Those talks appear to remain deadlocked.
But does the new associate member category represent an opportunity for the UK to have a different kind of relationship with the bloc it voted to leave 10 years ago? Or does it mean the EU is turning its back on tinkering with its divorce agreement with its troublesome neighbour?
Nine countries can shelve EES checks for the rest of the year
At least nine European countries have been allowed to delay the full roll-out of controversial border biometric checks until the end of the year, The i Paper’s Joe Palmer and Joe Duggan can reveal.
Brussels has given extensions to several member states after a deadline for full implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU nationals at Schengen area airports passed earlier this month.
Which countries are they?
At least nine European countries have been allowed to waive the full introduction of EES until the technology required for the necessary facial and fingerprint scans is working effectively.
Countries granted the exemption include:
What is EES?
EES, which launched last October, is replacing manual passport stamping, but has led to queues as long as seven hours at border checkpoints. Some passengers have been forced to miss their flights.
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A closer look at the EES crisis
When asked about the nine countries yet to fully introduce the checks, a spokesperson for the European Commission told The i Paper it was in “close and constructive contact with those few member states where some adjustments are still needed at certain border crossing points”.
The crocodile-ridden river chosen as Olympic rowing venue
A river inhabited by around 500 saltwater crocodiles has been greenlit as the venue for Olympic and Paralympic rowing and canoeing events at the 2032 Brisbane Games.
Seal of approval
The location approved to host the events is on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland.
The independent technical assessment of the waters’ suitability did not take into account the crocodiles but examined how the course would perform under various circumstances and weather conditions.
How safe is the river?
- Olympic officials have previously been assured of the safety of the location, but British representatives are among those to raise concerns.
- The river is already a training and competition venue for flatwater sports, supporting school state championships and national team training camps, the report said.
- Contingency plans are in place and the route has been endorsed by World Rowing and Paddle Worldwide.
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Concerns downplayed
There are sharks in the ocean and we’re still surfing… it’s a can do, not a can’t do – please change the mindset here.
Speaking last year, Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris dismissed concerns about crocodiles.
EU announces plan to restrict social media access for under-15s
The EU has announced plans to restrict social media access for under-15s across its member states, in a bid to tackle online safety.
How would it work?
There would be a gradual approach to children using social media which would include banning access for under 13s.
13 to 15-year-olds would be able to access platforms for an hour a day via “mini accounts” set up through their parent’s account.
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A closer look at the detail
The European Commission said social media companies would need to prove platforms were safe by design or face fines of up to 6 per cent of their global sales.
The restrictions would not just affect well-known apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat but also YouTube and other video sharing platforms as well as AI chatbots and online games.
What did the EU chief say?
Too many children are being exposed too early to an online world they are not ready to navigate – an environment where bullying can follow you home, where every mistake can be recorded forever.
Ursula von der Leyen
How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
Sales of battery
electric vehicles hit a record high last year.
Starts at £22,995 for the smaller battery
Available with either a 40kWh battery or a larger 52kWh pack, that offers almost 255 miles, the latest, retro-inspired Renault 5 is both a joy to behold and a hoot to drive.
The interior has been lavished with a level of detail that’s typically reserved for more expensive cars.
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A champion of EV efficiency
It offers a remarkable 491 mile range on a single charge from the 85kWh battery.
It is a technological masterclass inside with the ability to option screens that span the entire width of the dashboard, including an optional display for the front passenger.
Priced from £37,400
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It’s a lot of money to part with, but this is arguably all the car you will ever need.
The £89,000 Macan is a premium SUV that somehow manages to blend Porsche’s reputation for dynamics and sporty driving with everyday practicality.
The 95kWh batteries can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes from the fastest public charging outlets.
With the business class-style six seat configuration costing a staggering £76,995, it is by far the most expensive Kia ever made, but it backs up its financial demands with a suite of genuinely useful and impressive onboard technology.
It’s fast, goes a long way between stops and charges relatively quickly but the interior is bland, the onboard technology is infuriating and the experience is devoid of emotion.
All of its gadgetry can’t disguise the fact that performance is weak, even for a typically zippy EV, the ride is fussy at slower speeds and it’s not in the least bit enjoyable to drive on a country road.
- While good value (prices start at £17,935) for the 200-mile max range, there are more interesting options from Hyundai, Citroen and Renault for similar money.
- It attempts to wow with tech, much of which hinders, rather than helps.
- There’s no tangible benefit over mounting your phone to the dash.
- Simply an average driving experience, adequate range and slow charging speeds.
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The kitchen gadgets under £25
Victorinox paring knife
It’s comfortable to hold, with a point sharp enough for scoring pastry.
ProCook cast iron pan
For unbeatable searing and heat-retention, cast iron is the top choice.
Tesco chopping board
Priced at just £22, I’ve yet to find another board that matches it for sheer value and quality.
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Pyrex jug
It is the perfect vessel for blending smooth sauces, melting butter, or warming stock. It won’t stain like plastic and the red measurements never fade.
Salter scales
“I’ve had my slim little set of Salter Disc Scales for over a decade, and I’m delighted to see they are still made to exactly the same reliable design today.”
Microplane grater
It uses photo-etched stainless steel teeth that stay razor-sharp for a decade, something the lookalike copycats simply can’t match.
Braun hand-held blender
It’s an essential for everything from making velvety soup to getting the lumps out of white sauce.
Bodum cafetiere
As well as delivering great results, cafetieres are easy to clean and there’s no ongoing filter paper costs or pod recycling to deal with.
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The kitchen gadgets under £25
Oxo peeler
What truly sets it apart is the chunky, rubberised handle that absorbs pressure and stays completely non-slip, even if your hands are wet. It is inexpensive and incredibly durable.
Falcon pie dish
Made by fusing porcelain onto heavy-gauge steel for smooth durability, it is dishwasher, freezer, hob, air-fryer and oven-safe.
The golden rules for a happy, secure relationship
Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Amir Levine, author of bestselling book , explains why we behave the way we do in love.
Golden rules for happy relationships
Start with your own behaviours
The foundation of a secure, connected life is being what I call CARRP: that means being consistent, available, responsive, reliable and predictable. All of these qualities can be enacted in small gestures every day.
Express your needs
People need consistency and connection to feel safe. This is not, ‘You hurt my feelings by never replying to me’, it’s more ‘this is the kind of contact that helps me feel secure’.
Golden rules for happy relationships
The appendix ‘inflammation’ rule
If a relationship repeatedly inflames your nervous system, you need to disengage and deprioritise it.
Lean on community
You don’t need hundreds of friends. You need people and places that regularly remind you that you belong.
Stop blaming childhood
Humans are much more complicated than: ‘this happened to you, therefore you are doomed to be anxious’.
Reach for a
secure script
When something unsettles you in a relationship, your first reaction is not always the most accurate one.
If you’re anxious, your brain may jump very quickly to: ‘this is the beginning of the end’. If you’re avoidant, your brain may say: ‘this person wants too much from me, I need to get away’. So one very practical thing you can always do is pause and ask: ‘What would a secure person do here?’
Loneliness elsewhere
When people talk about loneliness, they often assume it means you don’t have enough people in your life. But you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely if those relationships leave you feeling excluded, ignored or disconnected.
What to do
- Build a community that works for your temperament and gives you regular, reliable moments of connection.
- You can still be kind to people while not treating them as someone who belongs in your inner circle.
- Explain what you need. Sometimes people simply don’t realise how you are experiencing them.
- Check in with people: does this person actually feel that I’m reliable? Do they experience me as predictable? That’s the only way that you can start to become more secure.
Do some foods leave
you feeling hungry rather than satiated? Experts say there are…
Foods that leave you hungrier
A bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice
More refined cereals are digested quickly, and fruit juice, whilst one of your five-a-day, contains less fibre than whole fruit. This might mean you find yourself hungry again within 1-2 hours of eating this breakfast.
Swap the orange juice for a whole orange, the cereal for oats and milk or serve it with Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg. This would increase the fibre and protein content; two nutrients strongly linked with fullness.
Foods that leave you hungrier
These pastries are made primarily from refined flour and butter, and are relatively low in protein and fibre.
Toast and jam
Shop-bought packs can contain a lot of white rice, which is digested quickly, and the protein content is often modest.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Vegetable soup
On its own, it is often very low in protein and calories, so hunger can return quickly.
Unless it’s loaded with veggies, it’s probably pretty low in fibre.
Liquids are generally less filling as they require little chewing which may not trigger satiety signals.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Snack bars
They are ideal for a quick pick-me-up, but if reducing hunger is what you’re after, it’d be better to swap it out.
Low-fat yoghurt
A full-fat plain Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds tends to be much more filling due to the protein, fat and fibre.
On an empty stomach, it can actually increase your appetite.
What to eat instead
Instead of thinking about avoiding foods, think about what you can add to them.
- Add beans, lentils or shredded chicken to your vegetable soup and pasta.
- Thicken your smoothies with Greek yoghurt, chia seeds and oats.
- Apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt with berries and hummus with oat biscuits are better snack options than a pre-made snack bar.
- Have alcohol alongside a balanced meal containing protein and fibre.
Some in Europe think the former – that Britain could be offered a new route towards much closer relations with the European Union.
EU ‘has broken a taboo’
The proposal is striking because no such category currently exists. EU treaties allow European countries to apply for membership, which rules out Canada as a conventional candidate.
Nor has Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who made the offer to Canada, explained precisely what rights or obligations an associate member would have.
But the significance may lie precisely in Brussels’ willingness to invent something new – and potentially establish a model that could eventually be applied to Britain.
Mika Aaltola, a Finnish centre-right MEP and vice-chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, said the offer had “broken a long-standing taboo”.
“The EU has resisted flexible membership categories for years, now the commission itself has put one on the table,” he said. “That changes the geometry for the UK too.”
For Britain, he added, such an arrangement “could square the circle: deep integration on security, defence industry and economic resilience, without reopening the domestic membership debate”.
Labour Movement for Europe chair Stella Creasy told The i Paper: “Even if this doesn’t progress past aspiration there can be no doubting that Mark Carney has shown what you can achieve with a clear ambitious message, and a focus on common challenges not red lines.
“For the UK its a sobering reminder that if we don’t rebuild our partnerships for peace and prosperity with our neighbours, others will”
Naomi Smith, chief executive of the pro-European campaign group Best for Britain, said Carney was treating the EU “as the strategic asset it is” and argued Britain should go further than its present approach.
“Voters want it, our economy needs it, and [Andy] Burnham can deliver,” she said, arguing that Britain and Canada faced similar pressures as Donald Trump’s trade policies squeezed their economies and raised doubts about the reliability of the US as a trading partner.
Obstacles for Canada
Yet there are substantial obstacles before “associate membership” becomes anything more than an eye-catching political label.
Creating a formal new EU status could require complicated legal changes and the agreement of all 27 member states. Some governments are wary of giving Canada preferential access to the European market or antagonising Washington.
The history of EU-Canada relations itself offers a warning. Their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, Ceta, was signed nearly a decade ago and is provisionally in force, yet 10 EU countries – including France, Italy and Poland – have still not ratified it.
There are also long-standing sensitivities inside the EU about allowing non-members to enjoy the advantages of integration without accepting its obligations – precisely the argument that dominated the Brexit negotiations.
No 10 insiders are cool on the idea of the UK becoming an associate member, with a source saying “it’s a matter for the EU and Canada”.
And nor is everyone in the EU convinced it would be a good fit for the UK. A senior EU official told the idea of associate membership was specifically tailored for Canada as a non-European country.
“It cannot join the EU,” they said. “Norway shouldn’t be looking at this and thinking ‘oh we want more.’ This isn’t for them. Their route to that is to join the EU. Same for the UK.”
UK reset deadlocked
Carney and Burnham watched an Everton game together on Wednesday night where they were set to discuss “a wide range of things”.
“Strengthening and deepening our coalition of progressive international partners can only be a positive thing,” a UK Government source said.
Burnham is currently trying to finalise the Brexit reset begun under Sir Keir Starmer, which seemed on the edge of an agreement before he took over as prime minister.
Labour wants a “deeper, more ambitious relationship” with the EU, his new chief negotiator Hamish Falconer has said.
But there are still sticking points with the UK’s push for inclusion in new “Made in Europe” laws to favour European businesses, in return for cutting university fees for EU students, as revealed by The i Paper, so far falling flat.
Von der Leyen made her overture to Carney during her annual State of the Union address on Wednesday to say she wanted Canada to become the first country to acquire the new status – potentially breaking a long-standing EU taboo against creating different categories of membership.
Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, with Carney watching from the chamber, Von der Leyen said the upheaval in the international order meant Europe had to “urgently reimagine our partnerships”.
“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” she said.
In response on Thursday Carney welcomed the proposal, telling the European Parliament: “An alliance for the future is a unique, positive approach that we will define together.”
The EU and Canada are now expected to explore a sweeping “alliance for the future”, potentially covering technology, defence industries, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyber security and the Arctic.
The proposal also reflects a wider shift in Brussels. Faced with Russian aggression, Chinese economic competition and a far less predictable US, the EU is increasingly considering how trusted democracies outside the bloc can be plugged into European structures.
The dramatic EU overture to Canada is seen in large part a consequence of Trump’s return to the White House.
Both Canada and the EU have been hit by US tariffs, while Trump’s attacks on Nato and repeated threats against Canada and Greenland have shaken assumptions about the permanence of the transatlantic relationship. Canada has sought to reduce its overwhelming economic dependence on the United States, while Europeans have accelerated efforts to build greater strategic autonomy.
At the same time, Brussels sees Carney’s Canada as an unusually compatible partner. Both are Nato allies, strong supporters of Ukraine and defenders of the multilateral international system.
“We see the world with the same eyes,” Von der Leyen said, pointing to co-operation on Ukraine, defence, raw materials and supply chains. “But above all, Europe and Canada believe in democracy.”