President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) to cut trade with the European Union after the bloc proposed to make Canada its first ever associate member. U.S.
Von der Leyen pitched closer cooperation on tech, defence and energy to Mr. “We will work on intelligent manufacturing. We will create a tech alliance. We will integrate defense industrial bases.
He is set to address the parliament on Thursday (September 17, 2026), with his visit meant to act as a catalyst ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect a day before Canadian leader Mark Carney was due to address the European Parliament.
Carney, who became the first non-European head of government to attend the annual “State of the European Union” speech. The German told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that, as democracies face a “fracture in the international rules-based system,” Brussels and Ottawa needed to pull closer together. Von der Leyen said it was time to move from cooperation based on trade to a broader “alliance for the future” and “bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible. We will make the Arctic a flagship joint project,” she said. “This is a partnership not against anyone else, but for our common strength,” she said. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,” Trump said, while also suggesting that the US could restrict trade with Europe in certain areas.
Earlier reporting noted: US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Europe after the European Union proposed giving Canada a new form of membership, in a move that could bring the two sides closer on trade, defence and economic security. Earlier reporting noted: “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. Earlier reporting noted: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made the proposal during her annual State of the European Union address on Wednesday, telling Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that she wanted to open the door for Canada to become the EU’s first associate member.
