Carney Backs EU Associate Membership as Trump Threatens Tariffs
Canada's Mark Carney welcomed an EU proposal for associate membership, while Donald Trump threatened tariffs if the bloc moves ahead.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney threw his weight behind a proposal for Canada to become an "associate member" of the European Union, telling lawmakers in Strasbourg that the two partners are stronger together and should deepen cooperation to safeguard their citizens' prosperity.
His address to the European Parliament came hours after US President Donald Trump dismissed the idea, floated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as "laughable" and warned of consequences for Europe.
"Europe and Canada are each strong. Europe and Canada are even stronger together," Carney said. He stressed that closer ties were not aimed at creating a rival power bloc, describing the goal as resilience so that no outside force could control open markets, undermine sovereignty, threaten territorial integrity or weaken democratic freedoms.
Trump's warning
Speaking to reporters before an event in North Carolina, Trump said he would act if he judged the proposal to be hostile. "If they do that, if I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things," he said, adding that heavy tariffs would follow if the intent were bad.
The European Commission rejected the characterisation. A spokesperson said the proposed strengthening of the partnership with Canada is not directed against anyone else but serves common strength.
Von der Leyen's proposal has yet to be detailed and would require approval from EU member states before it can move forward.
Areas of cooperation
Carney said Canada and the EU should pursue strategic autonomy through deeper cooperation in critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, artificial intelligence and computing, energy security, space and payments. He also pointed to digital trade and to building more secure broadband links between Europe and Asia through their shared geography.
Both Canada and the EU have faced mounting trade and other pressure from Washington, as well as from an increasingly assertive China. Carney framed the relationship as durable rather than transactional, saying Canada is not a fair-weather ally and that shared prosperity is the objective. "The objective is not self-sufficiency. It is collective resilience," he said, welcoming von der Leyen's ambition.