EU trade pact details revealed as Conservatives table report in House of Commons

...A report tabled Tuesday by the federal Conservative government in the House of Commons, explaining the final negotiated outcomes of the Canada-EU free-trade agreement, has shed more light on what is being billed as the largest and most wide-ranging free trade deal for Canada since NAFTA...

Eliminating duties: The agreement will eliminate 98 per cent of tariffs in the EU and Canada on the first day it takes effect, and eventually more than 99 per cent of them - including fully removing duties on all non-agricultural goods. The government expects eliminating the import taxes will lead to reduced prices on a wide range of consumer items coming from the EU, including clothing, perfumes, household products and automobiles.

Agriculture tariffs, including on beef and pork: Canadian farmers will receive yearly duty-free access into the EU for up to 50,000 tonnes of beef (including 70 per cent fresh, 30 per cent frozen), 80,000 tonnes of pork, and 3,000 tonnes of bison. An existing duty on a high-quality beef quota of 15,000 tonnes will also be removed, bringing total duty-free beef access to around 65,000 tonnes. Together, Canada and EU will liberalize about 93 per cent of tariff lines in agriculture.

Wines, spirits and specialty products: The EU is Canada’s main import source of wine, covering about half of the country’s imports. Tariffs will be eliminated and other trade barriers will also be removed, allowing improved access to the Canadian market for European wines and spirits. EU wines will still be sold through provincial liquor boards, but Canadian vintners can continue selling through their wineries. CETA will eliminate the eight-per-cent import tax on maple syrup going into the EU...

Automotive sector: Tariffs will be eliminated over seven years — including EU duties ranging from 3.5 per cent to 22 per cent, and averaging around 11 per cent — ultimately meaning reduced prices on vehicles coming from Europe, but also more competition for Canadian automobile manufacturers. Canada will eliminate 6.1-per-cent duty and recognize a list of EU car standards, making it easier for Europe to export cars here. The deal will allow for up to 100,000 passenger vehicles to be exported to Europe, compared to current average exports of 8,000 to 10,000 cars...

Fish and seafood products: Most import taxes will be cut. Canada will be forced to eliminate over three years minimum processing requirements on exports to the EU, a major concern to Newfoundland and Labrador, which had demanded fish and seafood caught in the province be processed there. Nearly 96 per cent of EU tariff lines for fish and seafood products will immediately be duty-free, and all tariff lines will be duty-free after seven years. Tariffs ranging from six to 20 per cent will be eliminated on products such as live and frozen lobster, peeled shrimp and frozen scallops.

This has been excerpted from a 30 October 2013 article by the National Post, and is available in its entirety at: http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/30/eu-trade-pact-details-revealed-as-conservatives-table-report-in-house-of-commons/ (subscription may be required).