Trump criticised the proposal as “laughable” and warned that Washington could take trade action if the EU moves forward with the plan.
“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,” Trump said.
His comments came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member” during an address to the European Parliament.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is due to address the European Parliament as discussions continue over closer ties between Ottawa and Brussels.
Von der Leyen proposed greater cooperation with Canada in areas including technology, defence and energy, arguing that closer ties were necessary as democracies faced what she described as a “fracture in the international rules-based system”.
“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength. In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” she said.
France’s Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad rejected the suggestion that Washington should have a say in the EU’s decisions, saying the bloc was entitled to determine its own political and geopolitical direction.
“It is not up to the United States, or anyone else, to choose the political and geopolitical direction of the Europeans. Once again, we have a relationship with Canada, and we are fully entitled to seek to deepen it,” Haddad said.
A European Commission spokesperson also defended the proposal, saying the strengthened relationship with Canada was intended to enhance cooperation rather than target another country.
Carney has described Canada and the EU as “natural partners, united by shared values” and called for a “unique alliance” as Ottawa seeks to reduce its dependence on trade with the United States.
Following meetings with EU leaders in Strasbourg, Carney said both sides were working towards “a deeper partnership that reinforces our mutual sovereignty to create more opportunities and prosperity for our peoples.”
Any associate membership agreement would require approval from all 27 EU member states. While most members support closer relations with Canada, the proposed associate membership concept is new for the bloc.
Canada and the EU already have a trade agreement and several bilateral arrangements, but their relationship has grown closer amid renewed trade tensions between Washington and its traditional allies.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has imposed or threatened tariffs on several trading partners and has repeatedly spoken about Canada becoming the 51st US state, while also criticising the EU over trade.
Canada is also seeking to strengthen its defence partnerships beyond the United States. Carney’s office announced that Ottawa had formally applied to join the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapid-response military coalition comprising 10 European NATO member states.
Carney and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also discussed closer defence cooperation and the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence during a bilateral meeting.
The EU has never previously had an associate membership category, although countries such as Norway, Iceland and Switzerland maintain close relationships with the bloc and participate in various aspects of its economic framework.
The precise scope of any potential Canadian associate membership, including its relationship with the EU single market, remains to be determined.
Von der Leyen said the EU wanted to move beyond traditional trade cooperation and develop what she described as an “alliance for the future”.
“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,” she said.
She also identified energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and economic security as potential areas for deeper EU-Canada cooperation.
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!