Trump threatens ‘very serious tariffs’ as Von der Leyen plan advances
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, welcoming the prospect of Canada becoming the European Union’s first associate member and calling for “deep cooperation” between Canada and Europe to secure their strategic autonomy.
Carney’s address came one day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to take up the unprecedented status, declaring she wanted to bring the bilateral relationship “to the highest level possible.” Hours later, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened “very serious tariffs” on Europe if the plan went ahead.
In his Strasbourg remarks, Carney said polling showed that an “overwhelming majority” of Canadians supported much closer ties with Europe, framing the proposed partnership as a means to preserve sovereignty in a world of great-power rivalry.
“Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep cooperation in the full range of strategic capabilities,” Carney said, listing sectors that included critical minerals, energy security, and artificial intelligence. He added: “Canada and Europe are each strong. Europe and Canada are stronger together … The objective is not self-sufficiency, it’s collective resilience.”
Carney received a standing ovation from MEPs, who waited to shake his hand and pose for selfies with the Canadian leader. European lawmakers from pro-EU mainstream parties had already praised Carney’s January speech in Davos, in which he called for middle powers to work together to preserve their sovereignty.
In Strasbourg, Carney reprised that theme. “I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival, only with better manners,” he said, characterizing an EU-Canada alliance as a “beacon for other democracies.”
The prime minister outlined specific cooperation areas: critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, artificial intelligence and computing, energy security, space, and payments systems. He also called for “seamless digital trade in non-agricultural goods and a wide range of services,” and proposed a youth exchange programme that would let young people work, study, and live in both jurisdictions, including Canadian membership in the EU’s Erasmus+ education, training, and sport programme.
No country has previously been offered associate membership — a category that does not exist in the EU’s treaties. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz floated the idea of associate membership for Ukraine as an interim step earlier in 2026, but other member states rejected the proposal. EU member states support the idea of closer ties with Canada, but some have reacted coolly to the label “associate membership.”
Asked by a Bloomberg reporter about the concept he preferred, Carney said: “The precise nomenclature for Europe is a question for Europe,” adding that leaders and lawmakers involved “take the view [that] what matters is the substance.” He also said Canada was “not in a position, nor seeking to become, a full member of the European Union,” and that the Canadian parliament would debate and vote on the future relationship.
Speaking before Carney’s address, Trump warned that if the EU moved forward with the plan, Washington could impose “very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe.” He added: “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.” Trump had previously derided the associate-member concept as “laughable.”
Responding to Trump’s overnight comments, Carney said the deepening of the EU-Canada relationship was “a positive initiative” and “not a reaction to something else.”
The existing Canada-EU relationship rests on a web of bilateral trade and sectoral agreements. Both sides have sought to move closer in recent months amid Trump’s trade tariffs and combative rhetoric toward the bloc.