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Canada14 September, 20263 min read

Mark Carney Arrives in Strasbourg to Strengthen Canada-EU Ties Amid Trump Tariff Threats

Von der Leyen proposes Canada as EU's first associate member at Strasbourg. Carney attends European Parliament, advocates a 'unique alliance' with the EU.

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Mark Carney Arrives in Strasbourg to Strengthen Canada-EU Ties Amid Trump Tariff Threats
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Carney seeks EU partnership

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Strasbourg to participate in the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before the European Parliament, as Canada seeks to deepen ties with the European Union amid trade tensions and repeated threats from U.S. President Donald Trump against Canadian sovereignty.

“The EU stands out as a jurisdiction where we not only share values but also common economic interests.”
Cadena Láser

Carney is set to speak on Thursday before the European Parliament and outline his vision of a “unique partnership” between Canada and Europe, while Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told Reuters that “The EU stands out as a jurisdiction where we not only share values but also common economic interests.”

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Image: 10News

Reuters also reported that Carney pledged to double his country’s trade with nations outside the United States over the next decade, and that seven EU diplomats said efforts are underway to broaden cooperation in areas such as trade, defense, and digital security.

European diplomats cited by Reuters said there has been no high-level discussion of a specific plan to establish a broader relationship between Ottawa and Brussels, and one diplomat said, “We want to improve the relationship between Canada and the EU, but even though we both believe in a rules-based world order, there’s an ocean between us.”

Reporting for this sectionCadena Láser

Budget, sovereignty, and SAFE

Canada’s incoming EU ambassador Jonathan Wilkinson ruled out paying directly into the 27-nation bloc’s budget under Carney’s plan, saying, “This is not across the board. It's certainly not membership in the European Union.”

Wilkinson told CBC’s The House that Canada would be “very selective,” and he pointed to the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, which offers loans to member states for defence investments, noting that Canada is currently the only non-European country to join the program.

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Image: 1News.az

Wilkinson said the proposed partnership covers “strategic capabilities” and that Carney has promised a vote and debate in Parliament on the structure of any alliance with the EU, while Wilkinson said he would be “very cautious” about jumping to conclusions on concerns raised by opposition parties about whether Canada would need to amend migration policies.

In Strasbourg, Carney embraced the prospect of Canada becoming the EU’s first associate member, telling the European Parliament that closer ties with Europe were meant to ensure no country could control Canada’s markets or undermine its sovereignty, and he said, “We do not seek power to dominate others.”

Reporting for this sectionCBCABC

Trump threatens tariffs, summit ahead

The EU proposal for Canada to become an “associated member” has triggered a direct response from U.S. President Donald Trump, who told reporters, “If they do this, if I deem it a hostile act, I will impose very heavy tariffs or I will halt all trade with Europe.”

“If they do this, if I deem it a hostile act, I will impose very heavy tariffs or I will halt all trade with Europe.”
Al Jazeera

Carney’s office said the push is for a “far stronger, more ambitious alliance in the future,” while Al Jazeera reported that what “associate membership” would look like remains unclear because the status does not currently exist under EU treaties and von der Leyen did not spell out what rights or obligations would come with it.

Carney told the European Parliament he welcomed von der Leyen’s proposal and acknowledged that “associate membership” remains to be defined, and he said he was not pursuing full membership of the EU.

The next step, according to Reuters and ABC News, is a Canada-EU summit in Montreal on Oct. 29-30, where Carney will host EU leaders to discuss the proposed new relationship in more detail, with the talks framed around deepening cooperation in trade, defense, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, space, research and financial services.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraABC