By ESZTER ZALAN
he Canada trade deal is supposed to be signed on 27 October (Photo: Artem Popov)
Belgium's Wallonia region will
block the federal government from signing the Canada-EU free trade accord,
after a vote in the regional assembly on Friday (14 October) against approving
the agreement.
"I will not give powers
to the federal government and Belgium will not sign Ceta [the agreement] on 18
October," Wallonian prime minister Paul Magnette said on Friday.
But, Magnette said the vote
should not be seen as being against trade or Canada.
He said that the so-called
joint interpretative declaration, that clarifies the deal, does not give enough
guarantees, as it does not have the same legal weight as the accord itself.
The French-speaking region has
concerns about the deal's social and environmental impact, which could be
addressed in a legally binding declaration.
The assembly voted 46 votes in
favour, 16 against and one abstention.
Belgium's federal government
needs the approval of all the country's seven assemblies to sign the deal.
Wallonia's stalling is a
diplomatic blow to the EU and its trade policy, as talks with US on a free
trade deal also grind to a halt.
It also raises questions about
future trade talks with the UK, as it exits the bloc.
EU trade ministers are due to
gather in Luxembourg next Tuesday to approve the Canada deal, so it can be
signed with prime minister Justin Trudeau in Brussels on 27 October.
Magnette on Friday urged the
Belgian government to renegotiate the interpretative text, saying four or five
EU member states are reluctant about the deal.
"We need to return to the
negotiating table," he said. "We are less isolated than people
think," he added.
Magnette is expected to travel
to Paris later on Friday to discuss the issue with French president Francois
Hollande.
"I am worried about the
future of Europe, why add another crisis?," AFP quoted Belgian foreign
minister Didier Reynders, who still hopes to approve the deal, at Tuesday's
talks with EU ministers.
The EU Commission on Friday
did not want to comment on the vote in Wallonia.
"The process has begun, it
is underway, we are following the debate in member states," a spokesman
said.
The Slovak presidency of the
EU said later on Friday that it is not for the presidency to comment the
internal legislative process in Belgium.
"We have full confidence
that in the end, Belgium will be on board, able to support the package at the
trade ministers meeting next Tuesday. The Council meeting is set to take place
as planned," they said in a statement.
"We are convinced that
the overall deal is good and balanced," it added.
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