Key facts
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated Canada will independently choose its international partners.
- Carney's comments came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of a proposed EU-Canada associate membership.
- The EU has proposed Canada become its first associate member.
- Carney suggested a closer EU-Canada association could make Canada a more effective partner to the U.S.
- France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad asserted the U.S. cannot veto EU geopolitical decisions.
- Canada will host an EU summit in Montreal in late October.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada will independently choose its international partners, pushing back against criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a proposed closer relationship between the European Union and Canada. The EU has put forward the idea of Canada becoming its first associate member, a designation that does not currently exist.
Carney told reporters in Strasbourg that "No one is going to dictate our culture or with whom we can strike agreements internationally." He also suggested that a closer association with the EU could enable Canada to be a more effective partner to the United States. The substance of any new relationship, Carney added, would be more important than the terminology used to describe it.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously proposed the associate membership, aiming to deepen ties beyond the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad reinforced the EU's stance, asserting that the U.S. cannot veto the bloc's geopolitical decisions. Canada is scheduled to host an EU summit in Montreal in late October.