Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 14 October 2016: Belgian region of Wallonia voted against EU-Canada trade deal

The planned free trade agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) threatens to be jeopardized after lawmakers from Belgium’s Wallonia voted against it on Friday. The EU and Canada have spent seven years negotiating the terms of this agreement, which would eliminate tariffs on most goods between the EU and Canada. For this agreement to be ratified the EU needs the unanimous agreement of all 28 member states. In Belgium, the national parliament as well as the six regional chambers must agree to the free trade agreement with Canada. The Walloon Parliament voted against CETA with 46 to 16 votes.

Wallonia's minister-president said he would not allow the government to sign the proposed agreement. Opponents of CETA fear that it might serve as a model and once it has been ratified then also the way towards the controversial EU-US trade (TTIP) deal might be free. Furthermore, Belgian critics are especially afraid of the disadvantages it might cause in the farming and industrial sectors, as those sectors will be exposed to cheaper imports from Canada. Additionally, environmental activists warned that this deal might worsen local standards for food, work and industry.

Nonetheless, the EU Commission does not want to speculate about a failure of CETA and a spokesman said there are still ongoing discussions about future actions.