EU Commission sets deadline for approval of Canada trade deal
NAN-F-27
Approval
Luxembourg, Oct. 18, 2016 (dpa/NAN) European Union member states have till Friday to approve a free trade deal negotiated with Canada, the bloc’s top trade official said on Tuesday, with time running out after a Belgian Regional Parliament blocked the agreement.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to fly to Brussels next week to sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) alongside his European counterparts.
However, EU member states must first give their go-ahead, a step that had been planned for a specially convened meeting of EU trade ministers.
“After today’s council meeting, all member states except one are on board; however, consultations are still ongoing in Belgium to find a solution.
“Bulgaria and Romania also maintained “reservations” over the deal, Ziga said, referring to a visa spat they had with Canada,”Slovak Economy Minister Peter Ziga, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency said.
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, said there had to be an agreement by the time EU leaders wrap up two days of talks on Friday.
“Our Canadian friends need to know whether they should book their ticket or not,” she said.
CETA which would eliminate 98 per cent of tariffs between Canada and EU states is seen as a blueprint for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated with the U.S.
Canada, the European Commission, the Belgian government and Wallonia have since been involved in last-minute negotiations.
The CETA signing ceremony is scheduled to take place at an EU-Canada summit on Oct. 27.
“If we don’t manage to have this trade agreement, there will not be a summit at this occasion,” Malmstrom said.
Canada requires visitors from both countries to apply for visas, although Canadians can travel to the EU without the document.
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, expressed satisfaction with the Tuesday’s talks, noting that conditions set by his country’s constitutional court had all been met.
However, the Greenpeace environmental group slammed the deal, accusing governments of being saying “out of touch” with their citizens.
Activists unfurled an anti-CETA banner on the building where they were meeting, the organisation said.
Malmstrom warned that failure to conclude CETA would have consequences for the EU.
“There are of course bigger things at stake than only this agreement.
“It is about the credibility of the EU to conclude trade agreements in the future,” she said, echoing a similar warning by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week. (dpa/NAN)
(Edited by Damilola Oyewole/Julius Enehikhuere)