Trump threatens tariffs on EU

Donald Trump warned the EU of "very serious tariffs" or a halt to trade if it accepts Canada as an associate member, calling the idea "laughable".

“If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.”

EU proposes Canada as first associate member

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become the EU's first ever associate member, pitching cooperation on tech, defence and energy.

“This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength.”

France says US cannot veto EU decisions

France's Europe minister Benjamin Haddad rejected Trump's interference, stating that Washington has no power to choose Europe's geopolitical direction.

“It is not up to the United States, or anyone else, to choose the political and geopolitical direction of the Europeans.”

Canada seeks to reduce US trade dependence

Mark Carney called for a "unique alliance" with the EU as Canada aims to diversify away from heavy reliance on American trade and tariffs.

Canada joins British military coalition

Canada formally applied to join the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapid response military partnership of 10 NATO member states including Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Carney and Burnham discuss defence ties

Canada's prime minister Mark Carney met with British PM Andy Burnham to deepen defence cooperation and discuss artificial intelligence challenges, both emphasising European partnership.

EU plans tech and defence integration

Von der Leyen outlined plans for intelligent manufacturing, a tech alliance, integrated defence industrial bases, and Arctic cooperation with Canada across energy, minerals and AI.

“We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defence industrial bases.”

Associate membership requires EU approval

The new associate membership category must be approved by all 27 EU member states, who generally support closer Canada ties but were surprised by the proposal.