US President Donald Trump threatened the European Union with new tariffs on Wednesday over its proposal to make Canada the bloc’s first “associate member”, suggesting the move could be considered hostile to the US.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said his response would depend on the intentions behind the offer. “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs,” he said. He also suggested the US could stop trading with Europe “on many things”.
Trump dismissed the prospect of Canada moving closer to the EU as “laughable” and described the US’s northern neighbour as a “terrible trade partner”.
His comments followed a proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who invited Canada to become the EU’s first associate member. Telling the European parliament it was time to move from trade-based cooperation to a broader “alliance for the future”, she said the bloc wanted to “bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible”.
“We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defence industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project,” von der Leyen said, also listing energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity as areas of cooperation. “This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” she added.
The status does not currently exist under EU treaties, and von der Leyen did not detail what rights or obligations it would carry. Any proposal would require the backing of EU member states. The bloc already maintains close economic ties with Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, which follow many EU rules.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office welcomed the prospect of a stronger alliance but stopped short of endorsing associate membership. Carney has previously described what Canada is pursuing as a “unique alliance” with Europe rather than membership.
Carney’s office announced on Wednesday that the country had formally applied to join the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapid response military partnership of 10 North Atlantic Nato member states including Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Canada and the EU are already examining closer cooperation on trade, technology, defence, energy, critical minerals and the Arctic, with more detailed talks expected at a Canada-EU summit in Montreal next month.