Belgian gov't, regional authorities to hold new talks on CETA

The Belgian federal government is scheduled to hold another discussion with regional authorities of the country on Tuesday afternoon, in the hope of saving a major free trade deal between the European Union and Canada, sources told Xinhua.

Paul Magnette, leader of the southern Belgian region of Wallonia that has been blocking the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is expected to convene a new dialogue with his Flemish counterpart Geert Bourgeois and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, to reach an agreement on the deal.

However, many don't believe that such a consensus could be reached in the coming days, including European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who told German media earlier Tuesday that he did not expect the deal to be signed this week, and suggested that a EU-Canada summit scheduled for Thursday should be postponed.

The Belgian federal government cannot sign the deal without the consent of its five regional authorities.

The Dutch-speaking Flanders and the German community are in support of the deal, while the Francophone Wallonia, the capital region of Brussels and the French community remain in steadfast opposition, fearing the deal would undermine product standards, environment, and workers' rights.

CETA aims to establish a free trade zone between the EU and Canada, scrapping more than 98 percent of existing tariffs. Endit