Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and Chief European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas confirmed that a deal on CETA has been reached.
An agreement has been reached, Michel told reporters after the latest round of talks.
Belgian agreement on #CETA. All parliaments are now able to approve by tomorrow at midnight. Important step for EU and Canada
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) 27 октября 2016 г.
Previously, all EU governments supported that deal except for the Belgian region of Wallonia, which has a veto power and can block the agreement.
"We have finally found an agreement among the Belgians that will now be submitted to European institutions and our European partners," head of Wallonia's government Paul Magnette said as quoted by AFP.
"Wallonia is extremely happy that our demands were heard," Magnette added.
On Friday, Canada's International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland walked out of talks on the deal saying they've reached 'an end and a failure' as she did not manage to convince Minister-President of Belgium’s region of Wallonia Paul Magnette to approve the signing of CETA.
CETA aims to establish a free trade zone between Canada and the European Union, scrapping more than 98 percent of the existing tariffs between Ottawa and Brussels. Opponents fear it would undermine standards and regulations on environmental protection, health, safety and workers' rights.
