Off the wire
• China land prices increase in Q3  • Chinese scientists decode technology on Tiangong-2  • FAO to help Africa strengthen capacity in GMOs  • Roundup: Africa urged to develop better corporate governance policy to increase investments  • Belgium reaches agreement on EU-Canada free trade deal  • Massive smuggling case busted in south China  • Ancient wells found in central Chinese city  • Minimum wage in Germany to rise in 2017  • China, U.S. to hold joint military drill  • Roundup: India expels Pakistani High Commission official for alleged spying  
You are here: 　 Home

EU welcomes Belgian parliaments' agreement on CETA

Xinhua, October 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Union (EU) on Thursday welcomed the breakthrough on Belgian parliaments' impasse over the bloc's landmark trade deal with Canada after intense and lengthy negotiations.

European Council President Donald Tusk said he was glad for the good news from Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who earlier announced Belgian parliaments had agreed to approve the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Tusk tweeted that only once all procedures were finalized for the EU signing CETA would he contact Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

All 27 EU member states approved the signing of CETA except Belgium, whose regional Wallonia parliament had for weeks strongly opposed the idea, saying it jeopardized European farmers' interests and granted inappropriate power to international enterprises.

The deadlock had not been broken until Thursday at 12:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT), when Michel announced that all Belgian parliaments were now in a position to approve CETA by Friday at midnight.

"Important step for EU and Canada," the Belgian prime minister wrote on his Twitter account.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament who participated in a series of talks with the Canadian and Belgian sides on CETA, praised the Belgian move.

"Welcome today's breakthrough on CETA. Listening to and respecting citizens' concerns, dialogue, compromise, and a bit of patience were the key to it," he tweeted. Endit