Trump threatened to hit the E.U. with tariffs over Canada's associate membership bid
The U.S. president called the E.U.-Canada proposal "laughable" and conditioned his threat on whether he deemed the move a hostile act
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, urging European nations to forge a deeper strategic alliance with Canada. The proposal comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and its northern neighbor, with President Donald Trump hinting at imposing more tariffs if Canada becomes an associate member of the European Union.
In her annual State of the European Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed Canada as the bloc's first associate member, outlining a broader "Alliance for the Future" covering advanced manufacturing, technology, defense, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals, batteries, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and economic security.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the proposal, stating that Canada seeks a relationship "just short of EU membership" to strengthen sovereignty. However, the specifics of how associate membership would function and the approval process remain unclear, as the existing EU membership framework requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states.
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- Trump calls EU proposal for Canada’s membership a ‘hostile act’ fastcompany.com
