Canadian trade minister Chrystia Freeland has said the ball is in Europe’s court now if any free-trade agreement is to be signed between the EU and Canada.

On Friday, Wallonia, a small region of Belgium, voted to block the passing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU. In Belgian law, the region has the power to vote on such topics, even though all other EU countries had voted to see it progress.

However, in a last-ditch effort to revive the deal, president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz held emergency talks with Paul Magnette, the head of the Wallonia region, in a bid to get the CETA deal across the line.

European problems

“The door for every step forward is open but it’s quite clear that the problems on the table are European problems,” said Schulz. “In my eyes, there are no problems that cannot be resolved.” Mr Schulz also met with Freeland before she returned to Canada.

The Canadian trade minister said Canada remained ready to sign the trade agreement but it was up to Europe to resolve its own problems. “We have done our job. We have finished negotiating a very good agreement. Now the ball is in Europe’s court,” said Freeland.

Read more

Full coverage: CETA

What would the Canadian trade deal mean for Ireland