Canada trade pact can be rescued, Europe says
Trade minister Freeland walked out of talks Friday declaring deal ‘impossible’
OTTAWA— The head of the European Parliament said Saturday he’s “optimistic” that the trade deal between Canada and the European Union can be salvaged.
Martin Schulz emerged from a meeting with Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s international trade minister, expressing confidence that the complaints that threaten to derail the pact can be settled.
But he conceded, too, that Canada has made it clear to the Europeans that negotiations over the trade deal are now “closed” and that it’s now up to them to resolve the deal-breaking objections raised by Wallonia, a region in Belgium that has veto power.
“Negotiations between Canada and the European Union are closed. There is still work to do on our side, on the European side,” Schulz said in a televised statement with Freeland.
He said their discussion helped clarify “lots of points” that Schulz intended to take up in a later meeting with Wallonia President Paul Magnette.
“Quite clear that the problems on the table are European problems. We have to solve it,” he said.
In a statement posted later on Twitter, Schulz said his meeting with Magnette “confirmed that none of the stumbling blocks on the way of CETA’s adoption by Belgium are insurmountable. The contrary is true.”
“I am convinced that, by fully addressing the last remaining concerns, we can turn the apparent division on CETA of the last few weeks into a victory for every participant to the agreement,” he said.
Canada and the European Union were supposed to sign the trade pact, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, on Oct. 27.
But the regional government in Wallonia has raised objections to the agreement that have put that sign- ing, indeed the entire deal, in peril.
Freeland was in Belgium this week attempting to resolve those complaints. But she walked out on Friday, bluntly declaring a deal was “impossible.”
But some observers said that Freeland’s tough talk was only a bargaining tactic, meant to jar the EU into taking more concrete action to resolve Wallonia’s complaints.
Indeed, Freeland postponed her return to Canada for a Saturday meeting with Schulz and then declared she really was headed home to Toronto.
“From Canada’s perspective, our work is done. We’ve done our job. We have finished negotiating a very good agreement. Canada is ready to sign,” Freeland said in her comments alongside Schulz.
“Now the ball is in Europe’s court. It’s time for Europe to finish doing its job.
“We very much hope that will happen,” she said.