Response - Refusal by Walloon Government to approve the CETA

Minister-president Bourgeois reacts with bewilderment to the refusal of the Walloon Government to approve the free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada (CETA). 

Geert Bourgeois: “This is incomprehensible. We are on a State visit with an important trade and investment matter. Wallonia is travelling with us around the world to attract investment and to promote exports and refuses to grant approval to a treaty which will facilitate precisely that trade and investment and will provide many jobs. This will isolate the Walloon government at European and international level. The damage to reputations is enormous, especially for a country that positions itself with Brussels as a centre of diplomacy, the location for multinational companies and the capital of the EU.”

“As an open economy, Flanders has every interest in this free trade agreement. For our SMEs wishing to export, for our fruit growers who - because of the Russian embargo - are looking for new markets, for our contractors, and the dredgers too, for whom the public procurement market will open, CETA is of crucial importance." 

“The arguments not to approve CETA for now are neither here nor there,” says Bourgeois. “I regret the false information about CETA. CETA for the first time contains a dispute settlement procedure worthy of the name, with affordable access for our SMEs. The Agreement also includes all the offensive and defensive interests which are important for Flanders."

Offensive interests: 

- Up to 99% of the customs duties will be dropped;

- 92% of the tariffs will be eliminated specifically for agriculture (a boost for our Flemish pear and apple growers);

- The same goes for our chemical and pharmaceutical industry; 

- Flemish companies will be able to offer their services freely in Canada;

- Flemish architects and other diplomas will be recognised; 

- CETA will also allow Flemish firms - such as our dredgers - to compete for Canadian government procurement contracts - at all administrative levels (State, Province, City).

Defensive interests: 

- The precautionary principle that we have in the EU remains in force;

- All the cultural and audiovisual services are excluded; 

- There is a strong chapter on sustainable development in the draft treaty; 

- All our standards on labour law, environmental legislation and food safety are legally set in tablets of stone. 

- There is specific protection against the liberalisation of education, welfare and health services. 

Finally, Geert Bourgeois condemns the breach of faith: “In 2009 the Member States in the European Council gave a mandate to the European Commission to start the negotiations for CETA. At inter-federal level, all the entities - including Wallonia, therefore - agreed with the negotiating mandate that was given to the Federal Government at that time. In 2011 all the Member States once again confirmed the mandate of the Commission. Sinking a trade agreement that responds to that mandate and provides for an even better dispute procedure right at the end damages our credibility.” 

In line with the EU vision note of the Government of Flanders, Geert Bourgeois urges that the EU should now split the treaty up into a trade section and an investment section. The trade section is an exclusive competence of the EU (Article 3 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the EU) and invites little or no resistance. The investment section then remains a mixed competence. In this regard, the possibility must be created that the latter applies only to those Member States and Federated States that approve the investment treaty.