Europe and Canada Hope to Salvage CETA Free Trade Deal

The European Parliament announced on Saturday that it is working to save the CETA free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada after the Belgian region of Wallonia continues its David and Goliath battle against the deal.

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Following a series of negotiations, EU Parliament President Martin Schulz said that “I am very optimistic that we can solve the problems that we have within the European Union,” adding that “none of the stumbling blocks … are insurmountable.”

Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said that while “the ball is in Europe’s court,” Canada was willing to “stop the clock” to help the further negotiations of the deal. Freeland previously walked out of meeting in Belgium, saying that “it is now evident to me, evident to Canada, that the European Union is incapable of reaching an agreement.”

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between Canada and the EU aims to boost trade by lowering international tariffs. While all EU governments support the deal, and it is awaiting ratification, it has been held up by Belgium, who cannot give consent to the deal without the support of its French-speaking region of Wallonia.

Wallonia has continually opposed the deal, arguing that its demands have not yet been met and is calling on more detail regarding labour, environmental and consumer regulations. Critics around Europe say that the deal would give corporations overbearing power to sue governments and influence standards at the cost of public health and safety. 

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While Wallonia only makes up a small part of the EU, because Belgium’s constitution requires consent from all of its regional governments, it is single handedly holding up the deal. The region has echoed many of the concerns of massive protests across Europe over CETA and other free trade agreements, particularly for farmers.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that Belgian politics should not be allowed to hold the entire trade deal hostage. "This is a domestic European problem and a domestic Belgian problem and not a problem for Canada,” he said.