European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed making Canada the European Union's first "associate member," and 
Donald Trump threatened to cut trade with the bloc if he judged the plan hostile. She made the offer in her State of the European Union address in Strasbourg, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was in the chamber, welcomed it in his own speech a day later.
What would associate membership involve? The status does not exist in the bloc's treaties and would have to be created, and it is unclear who would need to approve it, PBS NewsHour reported. Von der Leyen, calling it "a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength," listed manufacturing, technology, defense, the Arctic, energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence among the areas of cooperation. Ten of the bloc's 27 members have yet to ratify a free-trade agreement struck with Ottawa nearly a decade ago, the BBC reported.
What did the US president say? Asked about the plan, Trump called it "laughable" and said: "If they do that, if I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe, on many things." He added: "If it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility." Trump, who spoke in Charlotte, North Carolina, also called Canada a "terrible trade partner," PBS NewsHour reported. Trade talks between Canada and the US collapsed last month, sparking new tariff measures.
How did Carney respond? Carney told the parliament on Thursday that he welcomed the proposal, though "associate membership" remains to be defined, and later said he was not pursuing full EU membership, PBS NewsHour reported. "Europe and Canada are stronger together," said Carney, whose speech drew a standing ovation. Asked about Trump's threat, he said: "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 also called for seamless digital trade and for young people to be able to work and study across the Atlantic, CNA reported.
What happens next? The two sides are expected to discuss the proposed relationship in more detail at an EU-Canada summit in Montreal in October. Under EU rules, member states must approve any partnership with a third country, and it was unclear how much support the proposal would receive from capitals, the Korea Times reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
