Canada and European Union finally sign free trade agreement following weeks of uncertainty
The deal had been held up after it was rejected by crazed socialists in the tiny Belgian state of Wallonia
The European Union and Canada has signed a free trade agreement today Sunday designed to boost growth and jobs and following weeks of uncertainty due to opposition in part of Belgium.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the treaty along with the heads of EU institutions, which should pave the way for it partially to enter force early in 2017 with the removal of most import duties.
The long-delayed Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement had yet another hold up overnight when Trudeau's plane had to return to Ottawa because of mechanical issues.
"What patience," exclaimed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as he embraced the arriving Trudeau at EU headquarters in Brussels.
In a brief exchange together in French, Trudeau said "difficult things are difficult, but we were able to succeed."
Trudeau and Juncker signed the pact with European Council President Donald Tusk and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.
On the other side of EU headquarters, a rowdy group of around 250 anti-CETA protesters gathered to block the front entrance as riot police watched.
Red paint was smeared on the building. Some demonstrators had actually entered the foyer.
Police took away 16 people, but did not break up the protest, spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said.
RELATED STORIES
The EU needed all 28 member states to agree and Belgium needed the backing of all its regions to approve the pact.
Trudeau had been due to sign CETA on Thursday, but was forced to cancel his flight when the country could not sign on because of opposition from the Wallonia region.
After several rounds of talks late into the night Belgium formally gave its endorsement on Saturday morning.
Smaller than the US state of New Jersey, Wallonia region blocked the deal between more than 500 million EU citizens and 35 million Canadians for several weeks.
Politicians there argued the deal would undermine labour, environment and consumer standards and allow multinationals to crush local companies.
The EU says CETA will remove more than 99 percent of tariffs and boost trade with Canada by 12 billion euros ($13.2 billion) a year, creating economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
It insists the deal will not prevent governments from moving to protect environmental and social standards if they believe action is needed, despite concerns in Wallonia and elsewhere that big companies would have free rein.
Juncker said: "This is an important day for the EU and Canada too, because we setting international standards which will have to be followed by others with whom we are in negotiations as far as free trade is concerned."
Work on the agreement started in 2009 and the text was actually finalised two years ago but sat in limbo awaiting endorsement.