N-VA opts for correct free trade

The European Parliament has approved the CETA agreement that is intended to ensure smoother trade between the European Union and Canada. “Flanders wants to stand in the world with strength, openness and self-confidence. Our trade policy is a powerful instrument for achieving this,” says MEP Sander Loones. “The contrast with Wallonia cannot be greater. Indeed the PS voted not for but against the CETA agreement and is thus aligning itself with the catastrophic protectionist rhetoric that is emerging once again, with American President Trump as the great driving force.”

In 2017, one in six jobs in Flanders depends on export. For example, all on its own, our federated entity is good for 83% of all Belgian exports. That figure rises to as high as 90% for exports to Canada. And as for exports going in the other direction, from Canada to Belgium, 98% of them end up in Flanders. “Flanders lives off international trade. It is the engine of our well-being,” Sander Loones explains. “And this new agreement with Canada fits in perfectly with this, an agreement that offers advantages not only for our consumers but also for our companies, large ones and small ones alike. We will have a bigger choice of more, better and cheaper goods and services. At the same time there will be a bigger sales market for the things we can supply. In addition we are calling on the European Union to continue working hard on a tough battle against any form of dumping.”

No dismantling

With CETA there is no dismantling taking place of our standards on food safety, the environment and public health. Our consumer protection and labour standards are likewise remaining resolutely untouched. “A lot of questions continue to do the rounds about CETA. And the answers can already be found in a pamphlet that was distributed by the PS,” Sander Loones notes. “The Walloon socialists were the ones resisting this trade agreement most fervently, but once it was a done deal, the party communicated the following in full: that CETA does indeed provide for a ban on the import of hormone-treated meat, that our public service provision is protected, and that the agreement offers opportunities and guarantees for our agricultural sector. There was finally also recognition of what experts had already long since confirmed: with CETA there are no private courts on the way. Clear answers, not just recognised, but also signed by the project’s loudest critics.”

Massive lurches

And yet the PS comrades in the European Parliament still voted against the trade agreement with Canada. “It’s hardly what you’d call consistent. In 2009 and 2011 the Walloon government was in favour of CETA. In 2016 it was suddenly against it, but following the ‘Great Magnette Show’ it was back in favour of it. And finally it votes against it after all. Who can possibly keep up with massive lurches like that?” wonders Sander Loones. Another thing is that the majority of European socialists even support CETA, which just goes to show how isolated the PS and other opponents really are.

“The PS is following in Trump’s footsteps and yet again choosing the wrong partner to defend the real interests of the French speakers,” Sander Loones concludes. “Opening the borders for uncontrolled migration? By all means, the PS is the place to be. But high-quality products from Canada? They’re closing the border to those.”