EU Defends Canada Partnership as Trump Threatens Tariffs

The European Union has defended a proposal to deepen its partnership with Canada after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs if the bloc moves forward with plans to create an associate-member status for Canada.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the European Union’s first associate member during her State of the Union address. [Photo: Mark Carney Facebook]

Trump said on Wednesday that he could impose “very serious tariffs” or restrict trade with Europe if he considered the proposal a hostile act. He also called the plan “laughable.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the associate-member status during her Sept. 16 State of the Union address.

She said the EU wanted to raise its relationship with Canada to a higher level and expand cooperation in areas such as manufacturing, technology, defense, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and economic security.

European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said the proposal was not directed against the United States.

“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” von der Leyen said in her address.

The proposal has not yet created a new membership category. Its details remain to be worked out, and any arrangement would require agreement among EU member states.

Reuters also reported that some EU diplomats questioned how the proposed status would work because it had not yet been discussed with member states.