Belgium's French-speaking gov't head wants new framework for European treaty negotiations

Wallonia's Minister-President Paul Magnette made public on Monday the Namur Declaration whose aim is to offer a new framework for negotiations concerning European economic and trade agreements.

"Signed by 40 international academics, the Namur Declaration aims at changing the way the European Union(EU) negotiates trade agreements," Magnette wrote on his Twitter account on Monday morning.

Wallonia is the French-speaking region located in the south of Belgium.

The declaration includes three chapters -- respect for democratic procedures; compliance with socio-economic, sanitary and environmental legislation; guarantee public interests in the dispute resolution mechanism -- and aims to "become the standard in every negotiation of trade and economic treaties in which the EU and its member states are stakeholders," reads the introduction.

The signatories of the Namur Declaration want these principles to ensure EU trade "does not serve private interests to the detriment of the public interest," citing climate change and sustainable development, particularly in the most disadvantaged regions.

Magnette became widely known in the international sphere when he led the opposition against the free trade agreement between Canada and the EU (CETA) which was signed on Oct. 30. A recent local survey conducted in Belgium stated that 41 percent of Belgians supported Magnette's position about CETA. Endit