Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said a Canada-EU alliance would create a "beacon for other democracies".
Carney: Canada welcomes EU ambition for it to become 'associate member'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed the European Union's ambition for Canada to become its first "associate member", calling for closer cooperation on defence, critical minerals and energy security.
Carney told the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday that Canada and Europe were "stronger together" in the face of "geopolitical rupture".
His comments came a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed "opening the door" to Canada's associate membership, a status that does not currently exist.
US President Donald Trump earlier called the idea "laughable" and threatened "very serious tariffs" on Europe if he considered it a "hostile act".
Watch: 'A better opportunity' - Canadians on a closer alliance with Europe
Canada and the US are locked in an escalating trade dispute, with each side imposing tit-for-tat tariffs after bilateral talks collapsed last month.
"Today our societies are being battered by new storms," Carney said during his address, naming them as climate change, "the erosion of democratic norms" and the "weaponisation of trade".
"Economic integration is now being weaponised, tariffs being used to exert pressure," he said.
"Financial mechanisms have been used for coercion. Supply chains constitute weak points to be exploited."
He said a Canada-EU alliance would create a "beacon for other democracies", while stressing the two sides were not seeking to form a new power bloc.
"I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival - only with better manners," he told MEPs.
"This is about sovereignty, our ability to live as we wish. We do not seek power to dominate others."
Asked about the proposal on Wednesday, Trump told reporters: "If I think it's at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe, on many things.
"If it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility."
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via BBC World.
OpenAI has formed a new independent mathematics advisory group hosted at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton following a surge in automated problem-solving. The move arrives amid mounting academic scrutiny regarding the rapid pace of artificial intelligence in advanced mathematical research.
As debate intensifies over the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence, OpenAI has proposed a comprehensive framework for international safety standards, focusing heavily on alignment research and recursive self-improvement. The move follows recent high-profile departures and escalating concerns from industry insiders regarding humanity's long-term control over advanced frontier models.
As Washington fiercely debates artificial intelligence oversight, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has emerged as President Donald Trump's top confidant, successfully pushing back against growing regulatory pressures. While rival tech executives advocate for government slowdowns, the head of the world's most valuable chipmaker is charting a rapid course for American tech supremacy.
