European Union Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has ruled out any EU role in mediating the escalating trade conflict between the United States and Canada, following the abrupt collapse of bilateral talks between Ottawa and Washington.
In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Šefčovič said the European Commission is not in a position to step in as a go-between. “I don't think that we are in a position to mediate,” he said, while acknowledging that the two North American economies are so intertwined that “sooner or later there will be attempts to resolve it.”
The trade war flared up ten days ago when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from negotiations with the Trump administration, citing pressure over the use of French in trade matters. In response, US President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on Canadian cars and trucks, and Ottawa retaliated with duties on more than 700 US products, worth around $20 billion (€17.2 billion).
Šefčovič, who has spent much of the past year managing the EU's own trade disputes with Washington, repeated his long-standing warning that tariffs ultimately hurt ordinary people. “Tariffs are taxes which are paid in the end by the economic operators or by the citizens,” he said. “We clearly support free and fair trade with the lower or no tariffs at all.”
Brussels and Ottawa: a deepening partnership?
With the US-Canada relationship in turmoil, Carney has turned his attention to Europe. He has called for a closer partnership between Ottawa and Brussels and plans to attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address in Strasbourg in mid-September. An EU-Canada summit is also scheduled for later this autumn.
Šefčovič said the Commission is ready to explore “all possibilities” to strengthen cooperation with Canada, but stressed that any new arrangements would depend on Ottawa's own ambitions. “It would very much also depend on how comfortable the Canadian side would feel and what is its level of ambition,” he explained.
The EU and Canada have had a trade agreement since 2016, and trade between them has grown by 75% since then. Yet Šefčovič believes there is room to go further. “On both sides, we have certain elements which we can improve, still certain barriers, certain sensitivities for the products. I really think that we can explore much more than that.”
One concrete step could be a digital trade agreement, which Šefčovič said might be signed before the end of the year. He also pointed to potential joint investments in critical raw materials, an area where the EU is eager to reduce its dependence on China.
Brussels views Canada as a like-minded partner in reshaping the global trade order. Šefčovič hopes to use that relationship to get closer to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a 12-nation bloc that includes Canada but not the US. The UK became the first European member of the CPTPP in 2024, with Canada ratifying its full accession as of 1 September.
“Canadians are very important partners for forging a new level of cooperation with the CPTPP,” Šefčovič said, noting that the pact represents “40 percent of global trade.”
The EU's own trade agenda has been busy, with an October deadline for China to deliver concrete results on market access, and a €90 billion loan to Ukraine that Brussels continues to back despite rising costs. The Commission is also navigating a complex geopolitical landscape, as seen in G20 finance meetings overshadowed by US pressure on Iran and tariffs.
Šefčovič's comments come as the EU itself has been hit by US tariffs on steel, aluminium, and other goods, prompting Brussels to impose retaliatory duties on American products. The EU has repeatedly called for a negotiated solution, but has also made clear it will not accept unilateral trade measures.
For now, the EU's position on the US-Canada dispute is clear: it will not mediate, but it stands ready to deepen its own ties with Ottawa. Whether that leads to a new era of EU-Canada cooperation remains to be seen, but the signals from both sides suggest a willingness to explore the possibilities.
