A warning from North Carolina
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the European Union would face "very serious tariffs" — or a stop to large parts of transatlantic trade — if it moves ahead with a plan to bring Canada in as an associate member.
"If I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things," Trump told reporters after landing in North Carolina. He also called Canada a "terrible trade partner" and described the idea of closer EU-Canada ties as "laughable."
What associate membership would mean
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU is opening the door for Canada to become the bloc's first associate member. The status does not exist in current EU treaties, so it would have to be created and ratified by all member states, a process likely to take years.
Canada's ambassador-designate to the EU, Jonathan Wilkinson, said Ottawa and Brussels had discussed the idea. EU diplomats describe it as a political signal of closer cooperation rather than a fast route into the single market.
Trade tensions keep building
The threat adds to an unresolved dispute over tariffs, cars and farm goods. European officials say they are studying the legal mechanics of associate membership, while Canadian officials say no formal offer has been made.
For exporters on both sides of the Atlantic, the practical effect of Trump's remarks is fresh uncertainty about rules that were already shifting. Trade lawyers note that the EU can only grant associate status through a unanimous decision of its 27 member governments, and that any deal would need approval in national parliaments. That leaves room for negotiation — and for the tariff threat to be used as leverage long before any paperwork is signed.