Brussels seeks to ease Trump's anger over plan to make Canada an EU associate member

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed making Canada an "associate member" of the European Union. The idea is being pitched as part of a new initiative called the "Alliance for the Future," intended to build on the existing EU-Canada trade agreement.

The proposal comes as Brussels works to ease tensions with US President Donald Trump, who appears to have reacted negatively to the offer. European officials are now trying to contain the fallout from Washington's displeasure over a potential deeper EU-Canada partnership.

Von der Leyen's pitch to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reportedly spans multiple areas, including defense cooperation and critical raw materials supply. A new wave of EU-Canada agreements is expected in the coming period, adding to the existing bilateral trade deal.

Separately, von der Leyen also warned that the EU's trade deficit with China has reached a "tipping point." She said the European Commission would use all tools at its disposal to rebalance the EU's relationship with China.

Together, the two announcements suggest Brussels is simultaneously recalibrating its external trade and partnership strategy — deepening ties with Canada while addressing imbalances with China — all while managing Washington's reaction to the Canada overture.