Italy won’t ratify EU-Canada trade deal, minister says

Italy’s far-right agriculture minister on Thursday said his government would not ratify an EU-Canada free trade deal, claiming it does not protect his country’s farmers.

The European Union and Canada formally signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in October 2016, at a time when anti-globalisation sentiment was on the rise in Europe.

The accord, which has yet to be ratified, eliminates 98 percent of tariffs between the EU and Canada.

Opponents to the accord from around Europe see it as a danger to health, democracy and the rule of law.

Farmers in Italy protested in 2017, demanding that the government refuse to ratify the pact.

CETA’s supporters, however, see it as an extension of the global trade system that faces a threat from protectionist US President Donald Trump. The global system has also come under attack from eurosceptics and anti-establishment parties like those swept to power in Italy in a March vote.

In an interview published in Italian daily La Stampa on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Gian Marco Centinaio said: “We will not ratify the free-trade agreement with Canada because it only protects a small part of our protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI) produce.” (AFP)