Before Mark Carney accepted an exclusive interview with Deutsche Welle, he had just held talks with European Commission President von der Leyen and European Council President Costa. The two sides discussed specific details on establishing a closer partnership between Canada and the EU. Among them, the concept of "associate members" proposed by von der Leyen was also discussed. The EU currently does not refer to any external partners as "associate members." Von der Leyen's idea has also been questioned by many within the EU, including the German government.
However, Canadian Prime Minister Carney does not seem to be opposed to the "associate membership" idea. He told DW: "I think the advantage of what we are doing is that no matter what terminology is used, a few points are very clear. President von der Leyen used the expression 'associate member' and we use that expression as well. What does that mean? It means establishing the closest possible partnership without becoming a full member of the EU. After all, Canada is not located in Europe geographically and therefore cannot join the EU."
Carney also said that given the difficult progress in negotiations with the United States, Canada has realized that "it is too dependent on this powerful country to our south. We need to strengthen our own strength at home and diversify and deepen our partnerships with like-minded countries internationally."
When asked whether he intended to build a "transatlantic bloc excluding the United States," Carney said strengthening ties with the EU was more about diversifying and deepening Canada's partnerships than about excluding its largest trading partner by far. "We are both partners of the United States - obviously close partners and allies of NATO. There are many opportunities for cooperation between us and the United States. But in many areas, the cooperation between Canada and Europe may be deeper than the cooperation between Canada and the United States."
The Prime Minister of Canada praised the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and Europe as "one of the most successful free trade agreements in the world" and also mentioned the cooperation between the two parties in scientific research and education, including the "Horizon Europe" project and the Erasmus+ student exchange program. Carney also pointed out that the two sides can further expand cooperation in areas such as space technology, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals.
Although the Trump administration has frequently provoked Canada, including trying to unilaterally rename Lake Ontario on the border between the two countries as "American Lake" and releasing an AI video beating Carney, Carney still believes that the relationship between the United States and Canada is deeply rooted and will not be derailed by the change of any government, prime minister or president. "The bonds between Canadians and Americans are longstanding and strong. No matter which government governs Canada or the United States, the core elements of this bond will endure."
Asked how he could best deal with Trump, Carney said, "Be direct, be clear, and have to be very clear about where you draw your line. ... You have to be respectful but you have to keep trying to bring the negotiations back to the core issues."
Carney also pointed out that the tense relationship with Trump demonstrates the need for Canada to diversify and find other most natural partners around the world. But "no matter how the talks with the EU progress, the scale of the U.S.-Canada relationship will be difficult to replace." He also responded to whether he was worried that negotiations with the EU would lead to Trump's retaliation, emphasizing that "the United States has repeatedly sought reasons for trade actions against Canada, but in our view, these reasons are untenable based on the trade agreement between the two parties."
Carney said that negotiations with the EU aim to establish "positive connections" and "partnerships" with the goal of promoting solutions to various global issues and challenges. "It's not about targeting anyone, it's about enabling something. It's a positive move."
