MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Thursday, the 28-nation bloc and Ottawa were expected to sign CETA at the joint EU-Canada Summit. However, on Monday Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the nation was unable to sign the deal due to regional concerns.
"The Canadian delegation will not be travelling to Europe tonight… Canada remains ready to sign this important agreement when Europe is ready," Alex Lawrence, the spokesman for Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, told the Global News broadcaster.
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.
