European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed making Canada the first "associate member" of the European Union.

Outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been the bane of Brussels for all so many years.

European Union ambassadors convened on Christmas Day to start an assessment of the massive free-trade deal the EU struck with Britain. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool via AP)LONDON – First came the Brexit trade deal. Businesses were scrambling Monday to digest the details and implications of the 1,240-page deal sealed by the EU and the U.K. on Christmas Eve. And Brexit deal has angered one of the sectors the government stressed it would protect: fishing. ___Follow all AP stories on the Brexit trade talks at h ttps://apnews.com/Brexit

“Not that we don't want a deal," Johnson hastened to add during an afternoon news conference. “There are other options which now have to be looked at, including, on the one hand, the possibility of extending the (Brexit) transition period," McAllister said. France is leading the EU offensive to keep as many EU vessels in U.K. waters for as long as possible. The talks have bogged down on two main issues over the past days — the EU’s access to U.K. fishing waters and assurances of fair competition between businesses. ___Follow all AP stories on the Brexit trade talks at https://apnews.com/Brexit___