Flemish Parliament clears last-but-one hurdle in the CETA ratification

The Committee on Foreign Policy and European Affairs of the Flemish Parliament has today adopted the draft decree on CETA. The approval procedure for the trade agreement between the European Union and Canada is therefore now at its last-but-one stage - the only thing left is for the plenary session of the Flemish Parliament to ratify it.

The N-VA reacts with satisfaction: “Almost 10 years after the European negotiating mandate, we have reached the final sprint. CETA is a good trade agreement for an open and export-oriented economy such as the Flemish one. It is high time that we finalise everything now.”

Flemish commercial interests

Flanders accounts for 90% of Belgium’s trade with Canada, and with CETA almost all customs tariffs are eliminated. The trade agreement also provides access for Flemish companies to the Canadian services market, think for example of our renowned dredging companies. The N-VA explains: “In addition, the CETA agreement pays remarkable attention to small and medium-sized enterprises, which is very important for an SME region like Flanders.”

Fast ratification

In April 2009, the European Commission received the mandate from the Council of the European Union to start negotiations with Canada. The N-VA says: “10 years later, after 30 rounds of negotiations, there is finally an agreement. The CETA agreement is good for Flanders. We cannot and do not want to delay ratification any longer. A ‘fast’ ratification will show Canada, the EU and also the other parliaments that are working on the ratification how important and urgent we think this is.”