WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose tough tariffs on the European Union or entirely cut trade ties with the bloc if it proceeds with the proposal to make Canada its first-ever “associate member, suggesting the move could be considered hostile to the Unied States.Trump’s remarks came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU was opening the door for Canada to become the first associate member of the 27-member bloc.Speaking to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump said his response would depend on what European leaders were trying to achieve.“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs,” Trump said. He also suggested the US could stop trading with Europe “on many things”.Trump dismissed the prospect of Canada joining the EU as “laughable” and called the US’s northern neighbour a “terrible trade partner”.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office welcomed the prospect of a “far stronger, more ambitious alliance in the future”, but stopped short of endorsing associate membership specifically.Carney has previously described what Canada is pursuing as a “unique alliance” with Europe rather than membership in the bloc.Von der Leyen pitched closer cooperation on tech, defense and energy to Carney, who became the first non-European head of government to attend the annual “State of the European Union” speech.Her pitch comes as both Canada and the European Union seek to pivot away from an aggressive United States under Trump’s leadership.The German told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies face a “fracture in the international rules-based system,” Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen told the Canadian premier, drawing a standing ovation in the chamber.Carney is set to address the European Parliament on Thursday, with his visit meant to act as a catalyst ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month.Von der Leyen said it was time to move from cooperation based on trade to a broader “alliance for the future” and “bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.”“We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defense industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project,” she said.She listed energy, critical minerals, batteries, AI, cyber and economic security as other fields of cooperation.“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” she said.But both the EU and Canada have been buffeted by tariffs and territorial threats from the US and competition from China.“In a more dangerous and divided world, Canada is forging stronger relationships with trusted partners,” Carney’s office said in a statement.While EU treaties do not envision the possibility of becoming an “associate member,” the idea was first floated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this year for Ukraine.“We don’t really know yet what it means,” said Tobias Cremer, a center-left European lawmaker from Germany and the main sponsor of a resolution urging stronger EU-Canada cooperation, after Von der Leyen’s “associate membership” pitch.Under EU rules, member states have to approve any form of partnership with a third country and it was unclear how much support her proposal would receive from European capitals.Brussels and Ottawa already enjoy a considerable level of cooperation.The CETA free-trade agreement that abolished almost all tariffs has been credited with boosting trade in goods and services by more than 80 percent since 2016.And this year Canada became the first non-EU country to join a flagship defense loan program.Carney later flew to Britain for his first meeting with new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.They attended a football match between Everton and Wolverhampton together before Carney’s return to Strasbourg for his Thursday speech.WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose tough tariffs on the European Union or entirely cut trade ties with the bloc if it proceeds with the proposal to make Canada its first-ever “associate member, suggesting the move could be considered hostile to the Unied States.Trump’s remarks came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU was opening the door for Canada to become the first associate member of the 27-member bloc.Speaking to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump said his response would depend on what European leaders were trying to achieve.“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs,” Trump said. He also suggested the US could stop trading with Europe “on many things”.Trump dismissed the prospect of Canada joining the EU as “laughable” and called the US’s northern neighbour a “terrible trade partner”.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office welcomed the prospect of a “far stronger, more ambitious alliance in the future”, but stopped short of endorsing associate membership specifically.Carney has previously described what Canada is pursuing as a “unique alliance” with Europe rather than membership in the bloc.Von der Leyen pitched closer cooperation on tech, defense and energy to Carney, who became the first non-European head of government to attend the annual “State of the European Union” speech.Her pitch comes as both Canada and the European Union seek to pivot away from an aggressive United States under Trump’s leadership.The German told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies face a “fracture in the international rules-based system,” Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together.“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to be the first associate member of the EU,” von der Leyen told the Canadian premier, drawing a standing ovation in the chamber.Carney is set to address the European Parliament on Thursday, with his visit meant to act as a catalyst ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month.Von der Leyen said it was time to move from cooperation based on trade to a broader “alliance for the future” and “bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.”“We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defense industrial bases. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project,” she said.She listed energy, critical minerals, batteries, AI, cyber and economic security as other fields of cooperation.“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” she said.But both the EU and Canada have been buffeted by tariffs and territorial threats from the US and competition from China.“In a more dangerous and divided world, Canada is forging stronger relationships with trusted partners,” Carney’s office said in a statement.While EU treaties do not envision the possibility of becoming an “associate member,” the idea was first floated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this year for Ukraine.“We don’t really know yet what it means,” said Tobias Cremer, a center-left European lawmaker from Germany and the main sponsor of a resolution urging stronger EU-Canada cooperation, after Von der Leyen’s “associate membership” pitch.Under EU rules, member states have to approve any form of partnership with a third country and it was unclear how much support her proposal would receive from European capitals.Brussels and Ottawa already enjoy a considerable level of cooperation.The CETA free-trade agreement that abolished almost all tariffs has been credited with boosting trade in goods and services by more than 80 percent since 2016.And this year Canada became the first non-EU country to join a flagship defense loan program.Carney later flew to Britain for his first meeting with new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.They attended a football match between Everton and Wolverhampton together before Carney’s return to Strasbourg for his Thursday speech.
