“Laughable” – President Trump Responds To Canada Possibly Gaining EU Associate Membership

.@POTUS on Canada possibly becoming an associate member of the European Union:

"I think it's laughable… Canada has been a terrible trade partner… If I think it's at all an hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things." pic.twitter.com/AWOFLAZc8I

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 16, 2026

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she wants Canada to join the EU as its first-ever associate member.

“I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to being the first associate member of the European Union,” von der Leyen remarked at her annual State of the Union address in France, with Carney in attendance.

During remarks to the European Parliament on Thursday, Carney called for “deep cooperation” between his country and the EU on issues such as critical minerals, defense industrial capacity and artificial intelligence.

“Deepening and widening our relationship will strengthen our sovereignty, improve affordability, opportunity, and security for our citizens, while safeguarding our ability to live our lives as we choose,” the prime minister said.

Carney later remarked, “We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so that no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.”

Trump and Carney have exchanged tariffs on goods imported between the two countries in recent weeks, with Ottawa matching the U.S. president’s 50 percent levies on $27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods.

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"An alliance for the future is a unique, positive approach that we will define together."

Speaking to the European Parliament, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney says he "welcomes" President von der Leyen's invitation to the EU as an associate member.https://t.co/mof5Sn1ajS pic.twitter.com/Jf32j3VQCB

— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 17, 2026

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Associate membership doesn’t currently exist as a formal category under EU treaties, and any such arrangement would need to be created and ratified by member states.

“This alliance is a positive process; that’s my response to the American president. A stronger, more resilient, more sovereign Canada will be a more effective partner with the United States,” Carney told reporters at a news conference shortly after his speech.

“Canadians are united that nobody is going to tell us what language we speak, no one is going to dictate our culture or with whom we can strike agreements internationally,” he added.

The EU has previously been reluctant to entertain the prospect of flexible membership categories, notably when earlier in the year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed for the EU to consider associate membership for Ukraine.

Nonetheless, von der Leyen’s backing for Canada to receive associate membership with the EU signals a major deepening of ties between Ottawa and Brussels and comes at a time when Canada is locked in a bitter trade war with the U.S.

Asked whether Canadian lawmakers would be able to debate and vote on the future relationship between Canada and the EU, Carney said: “Of course, there will be debates, plural, not just a single debate, and there will be a vote in the Canadian Parliament. Absolutely, that is clear, but at this particular juncture, we are at the start of a road.”

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