Carney eyes ‘unique alliance’ with EU as Trump trade war strains Canada’s ties with US

Por Milena Wälde — POLITICO – TOP Stories

“We share the same values, we have the same priorities and we have very complementary strengths,” the Canadian prime minister told reporters in Toronto.

CANADA-US-TRADE-TARIFFS-CARNEY — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to forge much closer ties with the EU. | Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images

September 14, 2026

10:15 am CET

By

Milena Wälde

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that he is not seeking full EU membership but wants to forge much closer ties with the bloc, as he prepares to travel to Strasbourg amid an escalating trade war with the U.S.

“We’re not looking to become a member of the European Union,” Carney told reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival. “What we are looking — and will begin discussions for — [is] a unique alliance with the European Union.”

“We share the same values, we have the same priorities and we have very complementary strengths,” he added.

Carney will address the European Parliament this week and attend Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech Wednesday. His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report suggesting that he has floated making Canada an “associate member” of the EU — a novel status rather than an existing category of membership. Officials have discussed closer cooperation on critical minerals, trade, education and cultural exchanges, digital infrastructure and Arctic security.

Carney’s European pivot comes after months of increasingly hostile trade relations with Washington. In August, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, including cars, alcohol and dairy. That prompted Ottawa to retaliate and eventually suspend trade talks between the two countries, after what Carney called “unfair” last-minute U.S. demands.

Trump has also repeatedly needled Ottawa over Canadian sovereignty — from calling the country a potential 51st state to ordering Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America” for U.S. federal use.

Canada will make its Eurovision debut in 2027 and it will also host an EU summit in Montreal on Oct. 29-30.

Brussels, however, has yet to endorse Carney’s “associate member” idea, while parts of the existing EU-Canada trade agreement still await ratification in several member countries.