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Labor unions, industries in Finland back CETA

Xinhua, November 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

The signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union (EU) got a wide-based positive welcome in Finland, although some opponents continued questioning the deal.

Kai Mykkanen, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, said Finland belongs to the countries that benefit the most from the CETA in the EU.

Mykkanen said that export of machinery and equipment is vital for Finland but these sectors have suffered from standard requirements and duties.

He singled out Finland-based shipbuilding and cleantech. Mykkanen hoped that through the interim validity of the treaty, the positive impact could be seen in Finland as early as this winter.

The Finnish labor movement endorsed the agreement after changes were made in the investor protection clauses.

Olli Koski, the chief economist of the central labor organization SAK, told Xinhua the lack of sanctions in labor rights infringements was a key concern. The treaty will ease temporary transfer of manpower between Europe and Canada.

To the SAK, the replacement of closed-door arbitration by a public Investment Court system was a sufficient solution on the investor protection issue.

The SAK also said that free trade agreements actually strengthen the control of international trade. The organization said the existing rules has not been able to protect wage earners from "unhealthy" competition.

In the opposition, the Greens remained outspokenly critical of the treaty and questioned its compatibility with European law. A grouping of civic organizations with environmental flavor also published an appeal against CETA earlier in the autumn.

Taneli Lahti, Director of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, warned that "trade policy belongs to the powers of the European Union and must not remain hostage of internal problems of member countries".

Lahti welcomed the feature in the agreement that overlapping testing will be given up in some sectors. EU certification authorities can also test EU products for their compatibility with Canadian requirements. Endit