President Donald Trump has warned that Canada’s proposed EU partnership could be deemed a hostile act and that the United States might impose tariffs on European goods if the move is seen as unfriendly.
Canada already trades with the bloc under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which eliminated most tariffs, and it is the sole non‑European participant in the €150‑billion SAFE defence procurement programme, allowing Canadian firms to bid on joint European purchases.
At a summit in Montreal, Mark Carney and Ursula von der Leyen described the partnership as an “association without accession,” calling it the EU’s first associate member status that would deepen cooperation on AI, energy, defence, and critical minerals.
French and German officials, however, have expressed reservations; Anand Sundar of the European Council on Foreign Relations warned that the associate‑membership framing could be rejected at the upcoming EU summit.
Both leaders said they would finalize the accord on Friday, granting Canadian businesses and researchers access to the EU’s 12 supercomputers and setting the stage for a broader “Alliance for the Future” that Parliament could endorse in 2027.