Von der Leyen draws MEP rebuke over Canadian PM speech snub

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s handling of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit has triggered an awkward diplomatic episode, after her initial decision to miss his address to the European Parliament drew criticism from lawmakers and EU officials.

Carney is due to watch von der Leyen deliver her State of the European Union address on Wednesday before addressing the same European Parliament chamber himself on Thursday, September 17. A scheduling conflict initially meant von der Leyen planned to return to Brussels after her speech, but her team announced a last-minute reversal on Monday night, saying she would remain in Strasbourg for Carney’s address.

Canada’s Ambassador-designate to the EU, Jonathan Wilkinson, confirmed that Ottawa had asked von der Leyen to attend Carney’s speech.

“We said that obviously from our side, given that … he’s going to be there for her speech, it would be great if she could be there [for his],” Wilkinson told POLITICO.

“They found a way to make it work, which I think is good for everybody,” he added.

The episode comes during one of the most carefully choreographed periods on the Commission president’s calendar, as Brussels and Ottawa seek to deepen their relationship amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.

Speculation has also emerged that Canada could be seeking “associate membership” of the EU, although no such status currently exists. Carney has denied pursuing such an arrangement, while a Canadian official, speaking anonymously to discuss the matter freely, said the idea had in fact originated with Europe.

The diplomatic confusion began with a relatively straightforward scheduling problem.

Von der Leyen had initially been due to meet Carney in Strasbourg on Tuesday, according to an EU official. The meeting was subsequently moved to Wednesday.

“We had thought we had more time on Tuesday. There was an aligning of schedules — so now we will spend an extra night here,” the official said.

Carney has sought to portray himself as a leader of a coalition of “middle power” countries resisting the influence of larger states that wield hard power, including the United States. His decision to travel roughly 6,000 kilometers to Strasbourg to attend von der Leyen’s address and speak to the European Parliament was therefore seen as an important gesture toward closer ties with the EU.

Canada, a resource-rich country of about 40 million people with a roughly $2.5 trillion economy and membership in the G7, is viewed as a natural geopolitical partner for the European Union as both sides seek to navigate an increasingly volatile international environment.

Although von der Leyen does not routinely attend speeches by other leaders in the European Parliament’s hemicycle, she has done so previously, including for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2024.

That precedent heightened the reaction when it emerged that von der Leyen had planned to miss Carney’s speech in favour of a press conference on child safety in Brussels.

One EU official described the decision as “weird”.

Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt was more blunt, saying: “Really, von der Leyen? That’s more than bad manners. It’s unacceptable.”

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also weighed in, adding to the political scrutiny surrounding the Commission president’s decision.

By Tamilla Hasanova