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Belgian FM Signs CETA After Deal Almost Collapsed Due to Wallonia's Opposition
Belgian FM Signs CETA After Deal Almost Collapsed Due to Wallonia's Opposition
Sputnik International
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Saturday, the Belgium Foreign Ministry said. The... 29.10.2016, Sputnik International
2016-10-29T15:11+0000
2016-10-29T15:11+0000
2016-10-29T15:12+0000
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business, newsfeed, belgium, wallonia, comprehensive economic and trade agreement (ceta)
business, newsfeed, belgium, wallonia, comprehensive economic and trade agreement (ceta)
Belgian FM Signs CETA After Deal Almost Collapsed Due to Wallonia's Opposition
15:11 GMT 29.10.2016 (Updated: 15:12 GMT 29.10.2016) Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Saturday, the Belgium Foreign Ministry said. The agreement was previously blocked by Belgium’s French-speaking region of Wallonia but the parties managed to reach consensus.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The CETA deal is set to be signed on Sunday at an EU-Canada summit.
“CETA was signed today on behalf of Belgium by Foreign Minister Didier Reynders,” the statement said.
29 October 2016, 04:25 GMT
On Friday, the parliament of Wallonia gave the Belgian federal government the
go-ahead to sign the CETA agreement, which it initially opposed, thus disrupting the signing of the deal. However, the Wallonian parliament noted that it will regularly check that the implementation of the deal has not had any negative consequences.
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.
