EU seeking ways to launch parts of trade deal before full ratification

Cheaper goods could be arriving sooner than expected as efforts are under way to speed up the implementation of the free-trade deal between Canada and the European Union.

EU officials are currently looking at whether there are parts of the deal that do not require approval of the 28 member states and could be launched before the agreement is officially ratified.

A Canadian trade lawyer said Ottawa has the power to do the same and could eliminate tariffs and restrictions on temporary foreign workers from Europe as a sign of good faith while provinces debate the full agreement. A Canadian government official said full ratification here would likely be faster than in Europe, meaning there would not be a need for provisional measures from Canada.

Both Canada and the EU have estimated it would likely take until 2015 for the deal to be finalized, translated, debated and approved by the Canadian Parliament, the provinces and territories, the European Parliament and all 28 EU member states.

But in an interview with The Globe and Mail, Marie-Anne Coninsx, the EU’s ambassador to Canada, said work was under way to see if some parts could be approved on a “provisional” basis…

The ambassador did not specify which parts of the deal could be enacted early, but said the European Parliament might be able to approve parts of the agreement that fall under its exclusive jurisdiction. The remaining sections that involve state-level policy could come into force later, once all 28 states have ratified the deal…

She also said there is a small possibility the additional step of a ratification vote by each member state may not be necessary. If that step is avoided, it would also speed up the implementation of the deal…

This has been excerpted from the 23 October 2013 article by the Globe and Mail, and is available in its entirety at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/eu-seeking-ways-to-launch-parts-of-trade-deal-before-full-ratification/article15009272/#dashboard/follows/ (subscription may be required).