CETA takes an important step towards EU ratification

The EU-Canada trade accord CETA has taken an important step toward ratification, with the European Parliament´s International Trade Committee giving it the go-ahead. CETA would eliminate a half billion euros in tariffs that EU companies pay and could boost EU exports to Canada by 20 percent. EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber welcomed the committee vote, which sends the accord to the full Parliament next month for approval. He calls it an answer to US President Donald Trump´s moves against free trade accords.

“The EPP Group is in favor of CETA because we want to don’t have a free trade agreement, we want to have a fair trade agreement. We need rules for doing trade globally, and that is exactly what we do with this agreement”, explains Weber. He also said that this agreement represents an answer to Trump. “Trump wants to build up a wall, we want to build up bridges”, is Manfred Weber’s comment. With this, the European Parliament shows that it is a credible partner to deliver on CETA.