00:00President Trump says he will tear Canada apart.
00:02Currently, Canada and the United States are in a trade war.
00:04Because of this, Canada is trying to join hands with Europe.
00:07But the United States is strongly opposing this.
00:09Today, let's take a closer look at this issue.
00:10Let's get started right away.
00:11Before that, there's an event going on right now.
00:13Until September 20th, if you visit the SBH News website
00:16and get a perfect score on the quiz,
00:17you'll have a chance to win a chicken gift coupon through a drawing.
00:19Come check it out now.
00:20Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission,
00:22said she wants to pave the way for Canada
00:24to become the EU's first associate member.
00:26Associate membership is not an official status defined by EU law.
00:28Of course, only European countries can apply for full membership,
00:32but the associate membership offer was made to Canada,
00:34which is a North American country.
00:36European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that
00:39Europe wants to elevate its relationship with Canada
00:41to the highest possible level,
00:42and that both sides urgently need to rethink their partnership
00:44and move beyond a simple free trade agreement.
00:47Just before that, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
00:49listened to President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal.
00:51At that moment, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
00:54nodded in agreement with President Ursula von der Leyen's remarks,
00:56stood up from his seat, and embraced him.
00:58Currently, the EU and Canada are getting even closer
01:01amid tariff pressures from the US and cracks in the Atlantic alliance.
01:04Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited France to strengthen cooperation with Europe,
01:08focusing on trade, defence, and people-to-people exchanges.
01:11They are also planning a summit in October.
01:13President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for EU associate membership
01:15seems to be receiving a positive response from the Canadian Prime Minister's office.
01:19Although there was no specific mention of the EU associate membership proposal,
01:22they did issue a statement welcoming the idea of a future alliance.
01:26As Canada is getting closer to the EU at an unprecedented level,
01:29President Trump seems to be somewhat taken aback.
01:32The United States seems to believe that as middle powers strengthen their cooperation
01:35in the international community, America's position may be shaken.
01:39That's why President Trump is reacting very strongly to this.
01:42He firmly stated that there is no possibility of becoming an EU associate member.
01:47He also warned that if they do so and he considers it a hostile act,
01:51he will impose very high tariffs or suspend trade with Europe on various items.
01:56By threatening Europe with high tariffs and the possibility of suspending trade,
02:00he is effectively blocking the move to become an EU associate member.
02:03President Trump is especially wary of these middle powers expanding their cooperation.
02:07This isn't just President Trump's personal opinion, it's a common stance of the Trump administration.
02:13For example, former Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby said in August in the Philippines
02:17that people should abandon fantasies about superficial, trendy ideas
02:20like a middle power alliance meant to exclude the United States.
02:24President Trump is speaking in a rather strong tone, even mentioning halting trade,
02:28but Prime Minister Carney of Canada is also not backing down.
02:31Since President Trump is speaking so strongly,
02:34Prime Minister Carney responded by saying that no one can dictate our culture
02:37or decide with whom we make international agreements.
02:39Currently, the bond between Canada and Europe is growing stronger and stronger.
02:42Prime Minister Carney of Canada suggested critical minerals,
02:45the defense industry, AI, computers, energy security, space and payment systems,
02:50as areas for cooperation.
02:51And Canada has also officially applied to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force.
02:56In fact, the level of dependence on the United States...
03:00of course, it's still uncertain whether Canada will actually become an associate member of the EU.
03:05EU countries also agree on strengthening cooperation with Canada itself,
03:08but they are responding cautiously to the idea of associate membership proposed by Commission
03:12President von der Leyen. That's because getting closer to Canada and deciding what kind of system
03:17to establish for that relationship are two different issues. In particular, this proposal became
03:21controversial because it was made public without sufficient prior consultation with EU member states.
03:26According to Politico, four European diplomats complained that the Commission did not inform
03:30their governments of this idea in advance.
03:33Some diplomats pointed out that this approach is risky and unwise.
03:36Since the EU is an organization where multiple countries make decisions together,
03:39creating a new partnership status requires the political consent of the member states.
03:45Even if they agree to strengthen relations with Canada, accepting the proposal to create
03:48a new system of associate membership is a separate issue.
03:52What member states are most curious about is what exactly associate membership means.
03:57Currently, there is no official status of associate membership in EU treaties.
04:01Therefore, even if Canada becomes the EU's first associate member, important things like what
04:05differences there are from full membership and how much access it will have to the EU's single
04:10market have not yet been decided. Even among European diplomats, there is a view that it remains
04:14unclear what specific rights and obligations this status will entail. And the EU and Canada have already
04:19signed a free trade agreement called CETA, but in some member countries, the ratification process
04:23has not yet been completed. This is why there are opinions that before creating a new status,
04:27the existing agreement should be properly implemented first. A spokesperson for the German
04:31government also said that while they are open to discussing a new partnership model with Canada,
04:35the term associate member should be reconsidered. Within the EU, there are both opinions that
04:40cooperation with Canada should be strengthened and that the legal implications of the new system
04:44should be clarified first. Also, Canada is not solely focused on the title of EU associate member.
04:49Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on the 13th that Canada is not trying to become a full EU member,
04:53but rather aims to build a unique alliance with Europe. This time, while the European
04:57Parliament welcomed the proposal for associate membership, it emphasized that Canada is not
05:01trying to become a full EU member or hand over its sovereignty to Europe. This was emphasized.
05:05What Canada seems to want is to strengthen both sides' economies and security capabilities
05:09through a new form of cooperation. Prime Minister Carney expressed the view that he places more
05:13importance on what rights and obligations it would actually entail, rather than the name of the
05:16cooperative relationship. As you all know, the United States and Canada are currently in a trade war.
05:21Currently, the trade war between the United States and Canada is not just limited to a government
05:24level tariff battle, but is also affecting the consumption behaviour of Canadian citizens.
05:28The United States is imposing high tariffs on Canadian products, and Canada is also applying
05:32retaliatory tariffs on American products, so the economic tension between the two countries continues.
05:36Starting September 8th, the Canadian government imposed up to 50% retaliatory tariffs on American products,
05:41such as steel pipes, dairy products, home appliances, agricultural machinery, and electronics.
05:46As this situation continues, there is a growing movement in Canada to boycott American products.
05:50In fact, major local retailers are strengthening country-of-origin labeling and even considering
05:55importing goods from other countries to meet the demands of consumers who prefer Canadian products
05:59over American ones. There is also a movement to source products from other countries instead of
06:03relying on American agricultural products. Among consumers, there is also a growing movement to avoid
06:08American food and household goods and to buy Canadian products instead. A recent survey also
06:14showed that 65% of Canadian adults said they are boycotting American products.
06:19Now, the trade conflict with the United States is affecting even the everyday consumer choices of
06:23Canadian citizens. This atmosphere is bound to influence the Canadian government's efforts to
06:27find markets outside of the United States as well. Canada can't give up the US market, but it's also
06:32difficult to maintain a structure where the entire economy is heavily affected by changes in US policy.
06:36That's why strengthening relationships with Europe and expanding exchanges with other countries to
06:40diversify export markets and supply chains in multiple directions is becoming even more important.
06:45In fact, the Carney administration is officially pursuing a strategy of maintaining relations with
06:49the US while diversifying overseas partnerships and expanding exports to markets outside the US.
06:55How far this relationship can actually develop in the future will likely become clearer at the EU-Canada
07:00Summit scheduled to be held in Montreal, Canada on October 29th and 30th.
07:04The reason this summit is important is that it provides an opportunity to turn the ideas discussed
07:08so far into concrete plans for cooperation. Currently, there are various discussions ranging
07:12from the term associate member to the concept of a new alliance, but the specific final form
07:16between Canada and the EU has not yet been decided. Therefore, at the summit, the key issue could be
07:20what kind of new cooperation structure Canada and the EU will create beyond the existing CETA.
07:24Already, Canada became the first non-EU country to participate in SAFE, the EU's Joint Defense Industry Program,
07:30this year, and a foundation has been established for Canadian companies to enter the European defence market.
07:34At this summit, whether concrete measures to further expand this existing cooperation will be discussed
07:38is also an important point. However, there is one important variable here. Just because it is
07:42a cooperation plan that Canada wants does not mean it will be implemented right away.
07:46Prime Minister Carney stated that the final structure of the alliance will be discussed and put to a vote
07:50in the Canadian parliament. The EU also needs to coordinate with its 27 member countries,
07:54so it's still unclear whether everything will be finalised at the summit. In particular, since the
07:59status of associate member does not currently exist in EU treaties, we need to see whether this term
08:03will be used as is at the summit, or if it will be revised into a new cooperation model. Therefore,
08:08at the October summit, we shouldn't just focus on whether Canada becomes an EU associate member,
08:11but rather on which areas both sides agree to deepen ties in, and how deeply they will cooperate.
08:16There is growing interest in what form the unique alliance between Canada and the EU will actually take,
08:20and President Trump says that if this happens, he will implement various retaliatory policies,
08:25so people are very curious about what he will actually do.
Comments