Transatlantic free trade agreements – Belgium has until Friday to give its approval for CETA

Until Tuesday, Belgium has not yet given the go-ahead for the signing of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada (CETA). The reason for this is the refusal of federated francophone entities to give to the Federal Government their full authority for signing the agreement. The European Union has given Belgium until the European Summit on Friday to authorize this signing.

“We will continue to work day and night in order to have the summit with Canada next week (October 27^th, NDLR). We are immersed in constant dialogue with the different Belgian entities for responding to their concerns,” emphasized European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström following the Commerce Committee in Luxemburg.

“There has to be an agreement Friday at the European Summit. Our Canadian friends need to know whether to book their flights or not,” she added.

The Brussels Times