The Euro Parliament president is stepping in this morning to try and save the EU-Canada trade deal
The head of the European Parliament has not given up hope on saving the Canada-EU trade deal and is holding last ditch talks with two of the key parties this morning.
Martin Schulz, said he would meet Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland at 6.30am British time and then speak with Walloon premier Paul Magnette at 9am in an effort to revive the talks.
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Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland walked out of negotiations yesterday in Belgium, declaring that the EU was incapable of sealing the deal.
The sticking point is that although all 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Belgium cannot give assent without backing from its five sub-federal administrations.
And one of them – French-speaking Wallonia, home to 3.5m people or less than one per cent of the 507m Europeans that would affected by the deal – has resolutely opposed to it.
I'll be meeting @cafreeland tomorrow morning at 7:30 and @PaulMagnette at 9:00 in #EP to revive #CETA talks. We can't stop at last mile
— Ex EP President (@EP_PresSchulz) October 21, 2016
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Yesterday, talks collapsed and Freeland pulled no punches in her assessment of the situation.
"It is now evident to me, evident to Canada, that the European Union is incapable of reaching an agreement – even with a country with European values such as Canada.
"Canada is disappointed and I personally am disappointed, but I think it's impossible," she said.