There are continuing trade talks in the air and Canada’s Prime Minister makes the most of the one with the European Union.
Prime Minister Trudeau welcomed the European Parliament’s approval of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and Strategic Partnership Agreement on Feb. 15.
“Today, the European Parliament voted to approve the implementation of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA),” said Trudeau. “CETA sets a new bar for progressive trade agreements that create good, middle-class jobs, give consumers more choice, and protect both workers and the environment.
The Prime Minister welcomed the achievement of this important milestone which brings CETA closer to full ratification. Canada and the EU will now complete their respective legislative and regulatory processes that will bring virtually all significant parts of the Agreement into force by spring 2017.
Canada also welcomes the positive vote in the European Parliament on the SPA, which will deepen and strengthen the already strong cooperation between Canada and the EU on a wide range of issues, including human rights, international peace and security, and the environment.
“Canada is pleased that the European Parliament has voted to support CETA and Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA). Today’s vote is an exciting milestone on the way to bringing the benefits of these progressive free trade and partnership agreements to Canadians and Europeans. These agreements set the stage for an even stronger relationship with the EU, which will create greater opportunities for the middle class on both sides of the Atlantic,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, signed CETA during the European Union-Canada Leaders’ Summit on October 30, 2016.
Bill C-30, the legislation to implement CETA in Canada, was introduced in the House of Commons on October 31, 2016. Bill C-30 passed third reading in the House of Commons on February 14, 2017, and was introduced in the Senate on February 14, 2017. There are always realities to big signings like this.
Ron Davidson, the Director of International Trade, Government and Media Relations with Canadian Meat Council fears unresolved technical issues could delay the movement of Canadian pork and beef into Europe under CETA.
The bill has arrived in the Canadian Senate for approval before moving to parliament for Royal assent, at which time they can establish a timeline for implementation, which could happen by May.
Davidson said several technical issues still need to be resolved before Canadian beef and pork processors will be able to take full advantage of the agreement.
“In the case of pork, it would be the application of the Canadian health mark,” he said. “There have been ongoing discussions with the EU for the better part of a year now on the application of the Canadian health mark, as that would greatly facilitate our exports to the EU rather than having to apply a health mark in the cold storage. When the product is in cold storage it doesn’t necessarily all go to Europe.”
Davidson said companies may decide to take some of that product and ship it to other markets and product can come out of the area that’s reserved for the European Union.
However, nothing goes in there and Canada would like to be able to make use of the Canadian health mark. Until that gets approved it would be very difficult for pork to take advantage of the agreement.
“We see absolutely no reason why the issues that are affecting pork cannot be resolved before that,” he said. “We need to have them set up well before that date so the commercial pipelines can begin to be set up.”
Davidson said in the case of beef, the primary issue is Canada’s use of antimicrobial interventions. The beef and veal industry is working with the Canadian government to undertake additional research which will be used to apply to the European Food Safety Authority for approval, but that will likely take several months. •
— By Harry Siemens
