Trump threatened tariffs or a trade embargo on the EU if Canada joins as an associate member.
The invitation. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the European Parliament on Thursday, Sept. 17, that Canada welcomes an invitation to join the European Union as its first "associate member" — a status that does not exist yet and would have to be built from scratch. "A Canada-EU alliance would create a beacon for other democracies," he said.
Trump's warning. Donald Trump, asked about it Wednesday, Sept. 16, said the arrangement could be "a hostile act" and that he would answer with tariffs or a trade embargo against the bloc. Carney, in Strasbourg, said he was pressing ahead through what he called a "ferocious storm."
Still open. No EU treaty text, timetable or list of which single-market rules Canada would accept has been published, and any deal would need agreement from all 27 member states.
Catch up
Sept. 11 — Trump, asked why he had not escalated the Iran conflict, pointed to the coming midterm elections. Sept. 14 — With U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed, Carney began seeking associate-member status with the EU.