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Rejection of Ceta by the Senate: what future for trade between Canada and the EU?
Rejection of Ceta by the Senate: what future for trade between Canada and the EU?
(France 2)
Ceta is a free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada which has been in force provisionally since 2017. But the Senate refused to ratify it on Thursday March 21.
Since 2017, Ceta, an agreement between Canada and the European Union aimed at reducing customs duties by 98%, has been in force provisionally. But on Thursday March 21, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected its ratification, with 44 votes in favor and 211 votes against. This agreement was debated for the first time, at the initiative of the communists. Fabien Gay, French Communist Party senator from Seine-Saint-Denis, denounces “unfair competition” for European farmers.
The left and the Republicans united against Ceta
The ratification was rejected thanks to the votes of the left, but also of the Republicans. The government then undertakes to send the agreement back to the National Assembly, which voted for it in 2019. If the Senate and the National Assembly reject Ceta, the government can notify it to the European Union. The agreement would then cease to apply.
