(Ottawa) French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and his Canadian host Justin Trudeau reiterated their support for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), threatened by the protectionist winds blowing in France.
Three weeks ago, the French Senate voted against the trade pact, jeopardizing its ratification.
The free trade treaty has been applied provisionally since September 2017.
And so, “it applies,” Prime Minister Attal insisted at a joint press conference with his counterpart to Canada on Thursday in Ottawa.
Saying he is aware of “the protectionist concerns” that exist in part of French society, Prime Minister Trudeau said he had “extreme confidence” in the prospect of ratification.
CETA will enter fully into force once all European Union member states have completed the ratification process.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal cited among the objectives of his visit that of “building new momentum” in cooperation between the two nations, particularly in matters of trade and the environment.
Artificial intelligence, decarbonization of transport, “there are many subjects on which I am sure that we can move forward in a very fruitful way together,” he declared before his meeting with Justin Trudeau.