Belgium resolved an internal deadlock over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between
the EU and Canada on Thursday Oct 27,2016, Prime Minister Charles Michel told
reporters in Brussels.
"An agreement" has been found, Michel said after the latest round of negotiations to win over holdouts in Belgium's French-speaking communities who used a veto to hold up the deal
Belgian parliaments now have until midnight (2200 UTC) on Friday Oct 28,2016 to give their go-ahead for their country to approve the deal, Michel tweeted.
Confirmation of the agreement came swiftly from Paul Magnette, the president of the southern, French-speaking Wallonia region that was the main holdout on the deal.
"We have finally found an agreement among the Belgians that will now be submitted to European institutions and our European partners," Magnette said. "Wallonia is extremely happy that our demands were heard."
Lawmakers in French-speaking Wallonia said they were concerned the agreement could hurt local farming. They also sought assurances to address concerns that CETA would weaken labor and environmental standards.
Any deal reached in Belgium must still be approved by the 27 other EU member states before CETA itself can be signed.
The landmark agreement would link the EU economy with Canada's - two of the largest economies in the world. Proponents of CETA say it would boost economic growth and job creation in Canada and Europe.
"An agreement" has been found, Michel said after the latest round of negotiations to win over holdouts in Belgium's French-speaking communities who used a veto to hold up the deal
Belgian parliaments now have until midnight (2200 UTC) on Friday Oct 28,2016 to give their go-ahead for their country to approve the deal, Michel tweeted.
Confirmation of the agreement came swiftly from Paul Magnette, the president of the southern, French-speaking Wallonia region that was the main holdout on the deal.
"We have finally found an agreement among the Belgians that will now be submitted to European institutions and our European partners," Magnette said. "Wallonia is extremely happy that our demands were heard."
Lawmakers in French-speaking Wallonia said they were concerned the agreement could hurt local farming. They also sought assurances to address concerns that CETA would weaken labor and environmental standards.
Any deal reached in Belgium must still be approved by the 27 other EU member states before CETA itself can be signed.
The landmark agreement would link the EU economy with Canada's - two of the largest economies in the world. Proponents of CETA say it would boost economic growth and job creation in Canada and Europe.
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