Protesters march at EU headquarters over planned trade link-ups with Canada, US

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

Backers of both deals say that they will be essential in boosting trade and jobs in the future. Outside the EU headquarters Tuesday, the talk was different.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

“We are against these trade deals because they are a threat for the environment, for health, for labour regulations and they give so much power to multinational corporations,” said Greenpeace Europe spokesman Mark Brady.

Well over 100,000 demonstrators had already come out in a half-dozen German cities over the weekend to press the same point.

EU trade ministers will be discussing both TTIP and CETA at their informal meeting in Bratislava on Friday and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom was hoping for strong backing for the Canadian deal, which is finished but still needs approval.

“Canada is a country that, more than most others around the world, shares our European values,” Malmstrom told the Belgian parliament Wednesday. “To put it another way, Canada is not the United States.”

Business also strongly backs the deal with Canada. Luisa Santos, Director for International Relations at the BusinessEurope federation, stressed that “CETA is not going to impose (on) us to eat hormone beef or hormone chicken or chlorinated chicken, these kind of things.”

Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a joint statement alongside German Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel that sang the praises of the agreement, saying it would improve free trade, streamline dispute resolution and eliminate barriers to trade.

The statement also acknowledged the concerns of both the German Trade Union Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress, both of which oppose the deal.

The deal provides for “comprehensive rules to protect workers’ rights,” establishes a “new global standard” for sustainability and protects public services, the statement said.

The two ministers also say they remain committed to existing environmental agreements and call for “clarification” on whether the deal sufficiently respects the rights of parties to include labour and social criteria in their procurement procedures.

Raf Casert, The Associated Press