EU-Canada trade deal ultimatum rejected by Wallonia’s premier
brussels — The premier of Belgium’s Wallonia region insisted ahead of a crisis meeting of regional leaders with Prime Minister Charles Michel that he would not agree to an EU-Canada trade deal under pressure.
“Every time you try to put an ultimatum it makes a calm debate and a democratic debate impossible,” Paul Magnette said on arrival at the meeting in Brussels, hours before EU leaders say they will cancel this week’s signing of the CETA pact unless Belgium gives its consent.
“We don’t need an ultimatum,” Magnette told reporters. “We will not decide anything under an ultimatum or under pressure.”
Michel cannot add the consent of Belgium to that of the other 27 EU member states without backing from five regional authorities. Socialist-led Wallonia and Frenchspeaking allies in southern Belgium are withholding that.
“We are not against a treaty with Canada,” Magnette said. “But we won’t have one that jeopardises social and environmental standards and the protection of public services and we want absolutely no private arbitration mechanisms.”
Meanwhile, the European Union’s executive called for patience in an attempt to save a free trade deal with Canada and dismissed a Monday night deadline for a small Belgian region to provide its vital signature to the deal.
The EU and Canada want to sign the deal at a summit on Thursday in Brussels, for which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would fly in. But the meeting will be cancelled if the Belgian region of Wallonia, the lone holdout, withholds its approval.
The deal needs unanimity among the 28 EU nations and Belgium is the only approval lacking since it needs the backing of all its regions.
As Thursday’s summit draws near, pressure has increased on Wallonia, population 3.5 million, to drop its objections over a deal covering over 500 million EU citizens Now, we need patience. The commission traditionally does not set deadlines or ultimatums
Margaritis Schinas, EU Commission spokesman
and 35 million Canadians.
The EU Commission, which has negotiated the deal on behalf of the 28 nations, insisted that this week’s summit was not the final deadline.
“Now, we need patience,” said EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas. “The Commission traditionally does not set deadlines or ultimatums.”
Andre Antoine, the head of the Wallonia legislature, said on RTL network that “no, it will not be possible” to back the deal on Monday, arguing there are too many outstanding issues.
Even if Thursday’s EU-Canada summit has to be called off, it could always be rescheduled when Wallonia has signed on to the agreement, Schinas indicated.
Over the past week, Belgium missed two deadlines to agree to the deal and Canada briefly walked out of the trade talks before returning the next day.
EU officials said that without guarantees that the EU is ready to finalise the deal, there would be no reason to have a summit on Thursday with Trudeau.
Politicians in Wallonia argue that the proposed CETA accord — short for Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement — would undermine labour, environment and consumer standards and allow multinationals to crush local companies.
New attempts were made to sway Wallonia leader Paul Magnette over the weekend. — Reuters, AP