Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney shrugged off a threat of US retaliation Thursday as he pitched a “new alliance” with Europe as a bulwark against outside pressures, in a closely watched address to the European Parliament. Carney’s speech came after EU chief Ursula von der Leyen suggested Canada could become the 27-nation bloc’s first “associate member” in her own address to EU lawmakers on Wednesday.
“Europe and Canada are stronger together,” the prime minister said, in a speech that drew a standing ovation, stating that his country welcomed the EU proposal and wanted deeper cooperation on issues from artificial intelligence to defence and energy. The Canadian leader pushed back afterwards at US President Donald Trump’s threat to cut trade with the EU should the plan go ahead — telling reporters: “No one is going to dictate our culture, or with whom we can strike agreements internationally.”
Carney has been pursuing closer ties with Europe, as his country gets drawn ever deeper into a trade war with the United States. EU-US relations have also been badly strained by tariffs and territorial threats. “We are pursuing resilience so no one, no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law,” Carney said.
Von der Leyen’s proposal drew an irritated rebuke from Trump, who slammed it as “laughable” and told reporters it could be seen as a “hostile act.” “If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,” he said.
The contours of the “associate member” pitch were not immediately clear as EU treaties do not envisage such a possibility — but Carney stated Canada “welcomes this ambition.” Von der Leyen had emphasised that the partnership was “not against anyone else,” and Carney likewise sought to reassure Washington that the alliance would not be antagonistic but a “positive” initiative. “A stronger, more resilient Canada will be a more effective partner with the United States,” he told reporters.
Carney’s visit to Strasbourg was meant to act as a catalyst ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month. Canada could help Europe secure supplies of critical raw materials and contribute towards its energy needs with liquified natural gas and hydrogen, Carney said, also offering partnership on AI, compute, space and payments. The two parties should move towards “seamless digital trade” and allow their young people to work and study on either side of the Atlantic, he added.
On Wednesday, von der Leyen had similarly discussed forming a “tech alliance,” integrating defence industrial bases, and making the Arctic “a flagship joint project.”
The idea of creating a new “associate” status short of full membership was first floated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this year for Ukraine. Under that plan, Kyiv would have benefited from parts of the EU budget, attended the bloc’s summits, and had a representative in the European Commission — but no full voting rights. Terminology aside, Carney told reporters: “What matters is the substance — what are we actually building together?”
EU rules demand that member states approve any form of partnership with a non-EU country, and it was unclear how much support von der Leyen’s proposal would receive from capitals. Spain’s leader Pedro Sanchez appeared to back the idea Thursday, posting on social media an image of a red maple leaf — Canada’s symbol — sitting just outside the circle of golden stars on the EU’s flag. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that Paris supported “ever-closer ties with Canada,” but that the plan would have to be “debated, scrutinised and analysed.”
The EU and Canada already have the CETA free-trade agreement, which abolished almost all tariffs. Trade in goods and services has jumped more than 80 percent since 2016. This year, Canada became the first non-EU country to join a flagship defence loan programme. One EU official noted that the bloc needed to be “realistic and pragmatic” about what more it could achieve. However, a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said EU countries were keen to continue strengthening ties with Canada, regardless of what they called their alliance. “Carney came here to strengthen his cards vis a vis the US. Ursula helped him,” the diplomat remarked. “Trump’s reaction shows they already won.”
© 2024 AFP
