The European Union has defended plans to deepen its relationship with Canada after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Europe if the bloc moves ahead with a proposed new partnership with Ottawa.
European Commission officials said the proposal was not directed against the United States. The plan emerged after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that Canada could become the EU’s first “associate member”, a status that does not currently exist within the bloc.
Trump criticised the proposal, calling it “laughable” and warning that Washington could impose “very serious” tariffs or restrict trade with Europe if he considered closer EU-Canada ties a hostile act.
The European Commission said the proposed strengthening of ties with Canada was intended to increase cooperation and resilience rather than target another country. Any new arrangement would also require approval from EU member states, and details of the proposed associate status have yet to be worked out.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the EU’s proposal during an address to the European Parliament on Thursday. He said Canada and Europe shared democratic values and common interests and argued for closer cooperation in areas including critical minerals, artificial intelligence, defence, energy, space and digital trade.
Carney did not commit to the specific term “associate member”, saying the substance of any future agreement would be more important than its name. He also said Canada would decide independently which international partnerships it pursued.
The proposal comes as relations between Washington and both Ottawa and Brussels face trade and diplomatic tensions. Canada and the EU already have a free-trade agreement, while Canada this year became the first non-European country to participate in the EU’s SAFE defence programme.
The two sides are expected to discuss more concrete areas of cooperation at a Canada-EU summit in Montreal in October, although the scope and legal framework of any new alliance remain uncertain.
