Stalled: Canada says EU’s ‘job’ to save trade pact

Deal in trouble due to Belgian region’s refusal to sign on

BRUSSELS: Canada turned up the heat on the EU Saturday, saying it was the bloc’s “job” to save a trade pact put in doubt by a Belgian region’s refusal to sign on.

Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland was firm, after leaving last-ditch talks with European parliament head Martin Schulz, to salvage the proposed accord that is seven years in the making.

“Now the ball is in Europe’s court and it’s time for Europe to finish doing its job,” she said, adding that she was returning to Toronto on Saturday.

Schulz also planned an 11th-hour huddle with Paul Magnette, head of Wallonia’s socialist government, which is blocking the agreement between Ottawa and the 28-nation European Union.

The Brussels meetings are aimed at “reviving CETA talks. We can’t stop at the last mile,” Schulz wrote on Twitter, referring to the agreement’s name.

CETA would link the EU market of 500 million people with the world’s 10th biggest economy.

The accord was initially scheduled to be signed next Thursday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Brussels -- and Schulz said that that date remained in the diary.

Canada blasted the European Union on Friday as incapable of signing international agreements, as talks to persuade Wallonia to sign up to the huge trade deal broke down.

Freeland’s comments fed into warnings that the EU, beset by rising anti-globalisation sentiment, may never be able to land any other deals including one with the United States.

Wallonia’s government chief Magnette told AFP on Friday that his Belgian region needed more time but that there was still scope for an agreement.

“Democracy takes a little time,” Magnette said, “I wasn’t asking for months, but you can’t carry out a parliamentary process in two days.”

The Walloon parliament earlier this week refused to let the federal Belgian government approve the deal between Canada and the European Union, which needs to be backed by all 28 EU member states.

EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said she was still hopeful a deal could be reached.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada is opposed by anti-globalisation groups who say it is a test model to push through an even more controversial EU-US trade deal called TTIP, talks on which have also stalled.

There have been protests against both deals in several cities.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2016.

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