Belgian regional parliament approves EU-Canada trade deal
ricky l30 seconds ago
This is a good right decision.
Posted in - October 24, 2016
ricky l17 seconds ago
Trade Pacts will be the lifeline for Economic Growth for the World.
Any sharp edges in the pact can be trimmed and the economic benefits can be translated to benefit the people in the member Countries.
Without trade and just based on domestic economy, all the people in the individual Countries will be much worst off. The domestic economies will be too small as compared to the World market.
It will be translated into more business loss and job losses - if trade pacts are cancelled or dropped off.
Reply
ricky l
ricky l16 seconds ago
There must be perseverance, stamina and wisdom to see through the trade pacts are finally signed no matter how difficult the obstacles and hindrance is ahead of you.
Most important the ultimate benefits must be brought back and redistributed to the common people at large - so that politically, there will be less obstruction and more support for trade pacts ---- which is one of the main vehicle in creating wealth for the people.
ricky l16 seconds ago
In fact the various trade pacts --- can be used to serve as a catalyst, a cluster - that can be "web up" like a spider web - leading to a complete WTO - World Trade pact - where World trade can be facilitated among all the UN Countries.
When this happen, wealth can created for all the UN Countries through International Trade - and prevent lethargic slow World Economic Growth - that are impacting the World now.
ricky l16 seconds ago
Trade Protectionism must not be allowed to take root.
Any hindrance can be smoothen up, can be cushion, any sharp edges can be sugar-coat, any bitterness can be sweeten ---- so that eventually trade pacts will benefit everyone and wealth can be created - through more business, more job gain.
ricky l16 seconds ago
Trade pacts that lead to increase in volume in trade - will bring about higher production, higher freight activities, higher investment, higher business growth, high job creation, higher business revenue, higher income revenue, higher tax revenue --- with lead to higher business confidence and consumer confidence.
Protectionism conversely will do the reverse --- and this explain why the World is now going into prolong low growth and weak business confidence, weak consumer confidence and consequently weak business investment and lower job growth.
Thus it is important to stand resolute to sign trade pacts to create wealth - and not let protectionist force stop wealth creation by killing trade pacts.
Belgian regional parliament approves EU-Canada trade deal
AFP NewsOctober 28, 2016
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Even as political leaders came to an agreement on a Canada-EU trade deal October 27, 2016, protests against the accord, known as CETA, continued outside the European Union Comission headquarters in BrusselsMore
Belgium's Wallonia region on Friday approved a landmark EU-Canada free trade agreement after marathon talks produced a compromise, clearing the way for the European Union to sign the pact.
By 58 votes to five, parliament in Namur, south of Brussels, became the first of the country's three French-speaking communities to back changes made to allay fears local interests could be harmed by one of the biggest ever trade deals.
Its approval, after nearly four hours of debate, suggests the other regions will also back the deal.
This in turn will allow the Belgian government to give the European Union its blessing to go ahead with the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).
CETA requires all 28 EU member states to endorse it before it can be signed and then ratified by their parliaments and in some cases -- as in Belgium -- by their regional governments.
Wallonia head Paul Magnette told the Namur parliament that the changes agreed offered more guarantees that local interests would be properly protected.
"CETA amended, CETA corrected; that is fairer than the former CETA and offers more guarantees ... and that is what I put to you," Magnette said.
CETA will link the EU's single market of 500 million people -- the world's biggest -- with Canada's 10th largest global economy in what would be the most ambitious tie-up of its kind.
The EU had been due to sign CETA at a summit Thursday in Brussels with Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau but that was called off as his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel tried to win the holdout regions' backing.
"This is an important agreement that is on the table," Michel said after the talks on Thursday.
Under complex constitutional arrangements, Michel needed all of Belgium's regional governments to back the deal before he could sign up.
CETA took seven years to negotiate to 2014 and another two years to go through the EU's institutions before it ran into the Belgian roadblock.
Once signed, the pact will go into effect on a provisional basis, pending full member state ratification.
EU, US trade deal not dead yet: EU's Malmstrom
- Posted 29 Oct 2016 18:35
BRUSSELS: A much-debated trade deal between the European Union and the United States is not dead and negotiations will continue with the new U.S. administration after November's elections, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Saturday.
A similar agreement between the EU and Canada can finally be signed on Sunday after resistance from Belgian local governments led to a last-minute blockade of the agreement which was seven years in the making.
Paul Magnette, the premier of Belgium's region of Wallonia who led opposition to the Canadian trade deal, told his parliament on Friday that with the concessions he managed to agree, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was "dead and buried".
Malmstrom said she disagreed with that assessment and work would continue with the new U.S. administration.
"TTIP is not dead, but TTIP is not yet an agreement," she told reporters after a ceremony in Brussels, in which Belgium signed its addendum to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada.
"The U.S. election will naturally bring the negotiations to a pause and we will resume after with the new administration," she added.
Both TTIP and CETA have sparked demonstrations by unions and protest groups who say the agreements will lead to a 'race to the bottom' in labor, environmental and public health standards and allow big business to challenge democratically elected governments across Europe.
Washington and Brussels were committed to sealing TTIP before President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but both sides now recognize that this will not happen.
Some European politicians have called for TTIP talks to be halted and relaunched after the U.S. presidential elections with greater transparency, clearer goals and a different name.
Malmstrom said lessons from the Canadian negotiations would aid in making a deal with the United States.
"Some of the experiences, some of the procedures that we have experienced with CETA, will also be reflected in our work on TTIP," she said.
(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Stephen Powell)
- Reuters
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