Diplomacy & Geopolitics
EU-Canada alliance not meant to dominate, Carney says
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the proposed EU-Canada alliance aims to be a “beacon for democracies” and not to “dominate others,” after US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs over the plan.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed making Canada the European Union's first associate member. She raised the idea during her annual State of the European Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where Carney became the first non-European head of government to attend the address.
Von der Leyen said Brussels and Ottawa should move from trade cooperation to a broader “alliance for the future,” including technology, defence, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, cyber and economic security.
Trump said on Wednesday that he could impose major tariffs or stop trading with Europe if he judged the plan to be hostile to the United States. “If they do that, 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 told reporters.
The scope of any EU associate membership for Canada remains unclear. EU treaties do not set out such a status, and EU member states would have to approve any form of partnership with a third country.
Von der Leyen said the partnership was “not against anyone else, but for our common strength.” Carney's office said Canada was building stronger relationships with trusted partners “in a more dangerous and divided world.”
An EU-Canada summit is due to take place in Montreal next month. The EU and Canada already cooperate through the CETA free-trade agreement, and Canada this year became the first non-EU country to join a major EU defence loan programme.
Update
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the EU-Canada alliance aims to be a “beacon for democracies” and not to “dominate others”.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 September 2026 at 10:20:03 UTC.
Update
Trump also said that if the EU plan had a bad intention, the United States could put “very heavy tariffs” on Europe.
Von der Leyen said Canada and the EU should move from trade cooperation to a broader “alliance for the future.”
The article adds that EU rules require member states to approve any form of partnership with a third country.
The CETA free-trade agreement has been credited with boosting EU-Canada trade in goods and services by more than 80 percent since 2016.
Carney later travelled to Britain for a meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham before returning to Strasbourg for his European Parliament speech.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 23:42:58 UTC.
Update
Donald Trump said he could impose “very serious tariffs” or stop trading with Europe if he viewed the EU proposal on Canada as hostile.
Trump called the EU plan “laughable” when asked about it by reporters.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 22:46:02 UTC.
Update
US President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade with the European Union over the Canada association plan.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 22:39:43 UTC.
Update
EU member states would have to approve any form of partnership with Canada, and support from capitals was unclear.
A German European lawmaker said it was not yet clear what associate membership would mean.
Carney's office said talks with von der Leyen covered critical minerals, energy, defence, research and advanced technologies.
The CETA trade agreement was credited in the item with boosting trade in goods and services by more than 80 percent since 2016.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 19:27:51 UTC.
Update
Von der Leyen said the EU and Canada should move from trade-based cooperation to a broader “alliance for the future”.
She listed intelligent manufacturing, a tech alliance, defence industrial integration, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, batteries, AI, cyber and economic security as cooperation areas.
The new version says EU treaties do not currently provide for associate membership.
It adds that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had floated a similar idea for Ukraine, which received a cold reception in Kyiv.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 08:51:33 UTC.
Update
Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect of Canada becoming the EU's first “associate member”.
Von der Leyen told Mark Carney she wanted to work on opening the door for Canada to become the first associate member of the EU.
The remarks drew a standing ovation in the European Parliament chamber.
Von der Leyen pitched closer cooperation with Canada on tech, defence and energy.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 08:00:41 UTC.
Update
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pitched an “associate member” status for Canada.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 07:54:06 UTC.
Update
Ursula von der Leyen is expected to call for stronger EU-Canada relations in her State of the European Union speech, which Mark Carney is attending as guest of honour.
Canada's ambassador to the EU, Jonathan Wilkinson, said both sides are looking at cooperation in energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
Ottawa hopes to secure a deal allowing the European Investment Bank to support Canadian critical minerals projects.
Talks also include labour mobility, student exchanges, possible Canadian participation in the EU's Ukraine loan and efforts to make fuller use of CETA.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 September 2026 at 03:50:45 UTC.
Update
Mark Carney said Sunday that Canada is not looking to become a member of the European Union.
Carney said Canada wants to begin discussions on a unique alliance with the European Union.
Source note: AFP news report published on 14 September 2026 at 08:14:24 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The legal scope and structure of any EU associate membership for Canada remain unclear.
It is not yet known whether EU member states would approve any new partnership status.
Source
AFP news report published on .