Statement by Martin SCHULZ, EP President on the Belgian agreement on CETA, in Hamburg.

statement

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

EU - Belgium (T)

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (T)

EU - Canada (T)

Hamburg

Statement by Martin SCHULZ, EP President on the Belgian agreement on CETA

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/19744390/I128427Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, I think that the agreement the Belgian Federal governement and the Wallonia region found is a meaningful and I hope also a sustainable result. I hope that in the Institutions of the European Union specially in the Council of Ministers, the agreement will also be endorsed and then, we have in my eyes a standard for future international trade agreements, which is a very good one because the worries expressed by a lot of people are - after the negotiations during the whole week - they are taken very seriously  by the European institutions, by the Belgian governement, and this worries are now met with the results at the end of the negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, We are the biggest single market of the world, everybody wants to get access to our market and we want from our market get access to the markets of the other parts of the world, that's called Globalisation. Globalisation needs rules. I don't agree with those who say it is too slow. We are at the beginning of a change in International relationships and if we need a little bit more time, especially after Brexit, to get to regain trust of citizens then we should take the time. That's exactly what happened. The Wallonian governement is for sure representing a very small part of European citizens but the worries they expressed, are worries also in my country in Germany and also in other countries of the European Union. Therefore, they may be a small governement but they expressed big worries and big concerns and we answered to the concerns. And I feel that citizens felt that they were taken serious via taking serious the worries of the Wallonians and that's a progress.

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, First of all, I think we should be very grateful that the Canadians kept patient and remained available for us. What will happen now, we have to endorse in the European institutions, in the Council of Ministers and in the Commlission and at the end at the European Parliament, the European part of the agreement and then starts the ratification process on the national part in 28 member states and then their Parliaments and that will take a lot of time between 2 and 4 years. But the European part, which is in the end of the Intitutions of the European Union, could be ratified until the end of the year.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, The fact that the Belgian federal government and the region agreed on a joint text, is a breakthrough. We have worked hard for it and honestly, I am glad, that we took the initiative that lead to these negotiations. Clarities have been established which also have been demanded by many citizens, also in the German Federal Republic: about the arbitration, about open questions regarding the possibility to toll the agreement based on the court decision in Karlsruhe - so it was an improvement in every aspect. And I think that now we have made a major step forwards and have an agreement that sets new standards for all the other international trade agreements. That was a step forward and I hope that we will also get to a final agreement with the Canadians during the upcoming two or three weeks.