EU Commission “hopeful” of Canada trade talks breakthrough
NAN-F-6
Breakthrough
Brussels, Oct. 26, 2016 (dpa/NAN) European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, has expressed confidence that there could be a breakthrough on Wednesday in crisis talks to save an EU-Canada trade deal.
Belgium’s government has failed to sway the country’s French-speaking Wallonia region to support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which aims to ease the flow of goods between Canada and the EU.
The deal, which took seven years to negotiate, is supposed to be signed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and EU officials in Brussels on Thursday.
However that requires all 28 EU member states to be on board, only Belgium has not given its approval.
“As we speak, the summit tomorrow is still possible,” European Council President Donald Tusk told EU lawmakers in the French city of Strasbourg, while Juncker said he was “hopeful” of reaching agreement later in the day.
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, who is also responsible for trade issues, held a new round of talks with representatives of the country’s regional governments.
“No more” than one or two points remained open, he said ahead of the meeting.
Among other things, new proposals relating to agriculture were on the table.
Fears are rife in economically embattled Wallonia that CETA would weaken labour and environmental standards and threaten its farming industry.
Political rivalries between the region’s Socialist leaders and the federal centre-right coalition are also thought to be at play.
Proponents of CETA – and a bigger trade agreement being pursued with the U.S. argue that they would boost growth and create jobs.
“I am hopeful that during the course of today there will be an agreement between the Belgian government and the Walloon government and the governments of other parts of the country.
“Whether this will allow us to sign the agreement with Canada tomorrow is not yet clear to me,” Juncker told the European Parliament.
He said that “when this happens is less important than that it happens.”
Tusk said that he hope that Belgium will prove that it is a consensus-building champion and that we will be able to finalise this agreement soon.
“If we cannot make the case for free trade with a country like Canada the most European country outside Europe and a close friend and ally there are obvious consequences for Europe’s global position,” he said. dpa/NAN)
Edited by Damilola Oyewole/Julius Enehikhuere