President Donald Trump said a proposed new relationship between Canada and the European Union could be viewed as a “hostile act,” warning that he could impose steep tariffs or restrict trade with Europe depending on the intent behind the plan.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs against the European Union on Wednesday after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed creating an unprecedented “associate member” relationship with Canada.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump said his response would depend on whether he concluded the European initiative was intended to work against U.S. interests.
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“I think it’s laughable … Canada has been a terrible trade partner,” Trump told reporters.
“If they do that, and 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 added.
Trump then distinguished between what he described as benign and hostile intentions behind the proposal.
“So, if they do that, if Europe does that with a bad intention— if it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.”
The proposal does not amount to Canada joining the EU as a full member. Von der Leyen proposed making Canada the bloc’s first “associate member,” a status that does not currently have an established EU framework and whose rights and obligations have not yet been defined. The European Commission said the idea would require approval from EU member states before moving forward.
Von der Leyen presented the idea Wednesday as part of an effort to deepen the existing Canada-EU relationship beyond their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. She said the two sides could cooperate more closely in areas including advanced manufacturing, energy, critical minerals, defense production, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the Arctic.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been seeking to reduce Canada’s economic dependence on the United States and expand relationships with European countries amid an escalating trade dispute with Washington.
Canadian officials have said Ottawa is not seeking full EU membership. Canada’s ambassador-designate to the EU said the government wants to get as close to the bloc as possible while retaining Canadian sovereignty, and officials have described the developing arrangement as an “Alliance for the Future.”
The proposal remains unsettled inside Europe.
Reuters reported Thursday that some EU diplomats expressed surprise and reservations about von der Leyen’s announcement because the concept had not previously been agreed upon by member governments. One diplomat said the proposal had never been discussed with member states, while another questioned what an associate-member designation would mean in practice.
The European Commission rejected Trump’s suggestion that the proposed relationship was directed against the United States, saying the effort was intended to strengthen Canada and Europe rather than target another country.
Trump’s warning comes during a broader deterioration in U.S.-Canada trade relations.
His administration has imposed additional 50% duties on certain Canadian products and recently ordered that some Canadian goods currently subject to those tariffs be excluded from importation into the United States beginning Sept. 29. The White House said the measures were imposed in response to what the administration describes as discriminatory Canadian treatment of U.S. commerce.
Canada has retaliated against U.S. trade measures and has increasingly sought alternative economic relationships outside the United States.
The dispute now threatens to extend beyond North America if Trump determines that a closer Canada-EU arrangement is hostile to U.S. interests and follows through on his threat to impose additional European tariffs or restrict trade in selected sectors.
For now, the proposed “associate member” status remains a concept rather than an approved membership arrangement. Its structure, obligations and benefits have yet to be negotiated, and EU governments would have to agree before it could proceed.
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