Ottawa, Ontario: Canada and Europe enjoy a strong partnership and shared values, and today the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, was pleased to welcome to Ottawa Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament.
After meeting in Brussels last month, the two continued their discussion today on the next steps toward implementing Canada and the EU’s landmark trade agreement, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
“Canada is a trading nation. Free trade agreements do not simply connect us to the rest of the world, they also guide our economic growth. CETA is a gold-standard agreement that will bring great benefits to both Canadians and Europeans. We are firmly committed to having CETA enter into force as early as possible so Canadians and Europeans can take full advantage of its benefits, says Hon. Chrystia Freeland, P.C., M.P., Minister of International Trade.
“Our work on this landmark agreement should leave no doubt about our commitment to free, fair and progressive trade, and our ability to get deals done. We recognize the importance of our relationship with Europe, but early in our mandate we also recognized the clear need for progressive improvements if this deal were to be implemented.”
The two agree that CETA sets the standard in terms of free, fair and progressive trade and that it will create tremendous opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada and the EU are committed to signing the agreement in 2016 for entry into force in 2017.
