EU-Canada trade negotiating mandate made public
European Council | 15 December 2015
EU-Canada trade negotiating mandate made public
The Council decided on 15 December 2015 to declassify the directives given to the Commission to negotiate a comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Canada.
The 2009 negotiating directives, as well as a 2011 modification to allow for talks on investment protection, were made public the same day.
The draft agreement was finalised at an EU-Canada summit in September 2014. Legal scrubbing and translation are underway, with a view to signature, ratification and conclusion.
The agreement will remove over 99% of import tariffs in both Canada and the EU. It will create sizeable new market access opportunities in services and investment. It includes provisions on government procurement, investment protection, intellectual property rights, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, geographical indications, sustainable development, regulatory cooperation, mutual recognition, trade facilitation, cooperation on raw materials, dispute settlement and technical barriers to trade, amongst others.
The decision was taken without discussion at an extraordinary meeting of the Council, in the margins of a WTO ministerial conference in Nairobi. It was taken by common accord.
– 2009 negotiating directives for an economic integration agreement with Canada
– 2011 modification negotiating directives for an economic integration agreement with Canada
– Commission webpage on trade with Canada
