Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the trade deal was "good news for Canada's middle class"

The European Union and Canada have signed a long-delayed landmark trade deal, following weeks of uncertainty due to opposition in Belgium.

The deal was signed in Brussels by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and top EU officials.

The signing ceremony initially planned for Thursday had been cancelled after Belgium's Wallonia region vetoed the agreement.

All 28 EU states approved the deal on Friday when consensus was reached.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as Ceta, required all EU member states to endorse it.

The deal removes 99% of tariffs - and officials hope it will generate an increase in trade worth $12bn (€10.9bn; £9.8bn) a year.

The deal was due to be signed at 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT), but was postponed after Mr Trudeau's plane had to turn back to Ottawa airport after experiencing "mechanical issues" shortly after take-off.

After the agreement was finally signed several hours later, Mr Trudeau said: "Canadians and Europeans share the understanding that in order for real and meaningful economic growth, we need to create more good, well-paying jobs for our citizens.

"Progressive trade agreements like the one signed today, will do just that."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker referred to "a new chapter" in relations between the EU and Canada, which would open new opportunities "more than half-a-billion people on both sides of the Atlantic".

Love in the air... and lessons for Brexit? By Damian Grammaticas, BBC Europe correspondent

Justin Trudeau had a happy smile on his face today. Relief? Delight? A bit of both.

A handshake for European Council President Donald Tusk, representing the EU's 28 member states, came with a hug, and from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, a kiss on both cheeks.

Love was in the air between the EU and Canada after a rocky few days.

Canada has a new economic opening to 500 million Europeans. The EU believes this proves it can do big trade pacts which are good for its citizens.

Are there lessons for Brexit? Jean-Claude Juncker said he didn't believe so.

But there are some observations to be made. Ceta was approached with goodwill on all sides. Still it took seven years.

Ceta is about removing trade barriers. Brexit may discuss which ones to put up.

If the UK limits the movement of people, will the EU seek to do the same? And what other barriers may come, too?

And will political parties and leaders around Europe now follow the Walloons and bargain hard over Brexit, too?

Seven years of negotiations were left hanging in the balance after Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia demanded stronger safeguards on labour, environmental and consumer standards.

It also wanted more protection for Walloon farmers, who would face new competition from Canadian imports.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Protests have dogged the trade talks throughout

Image copyright EPA Image caption Belgium finally signed the deal on Saturday

On Thursday, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said that after marathon talks they had agreed on an addendum to the deal which addressed regional concerns.

Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, which currently holds the EU presidency, said the final approval of the deal was "a milestone in the EU's trade policy".

The Ceta trade deal in numbers 98% The number of tariffs between the EU and Canada that would be eliminated €500 million The estimated amount that EU exporters would save in duties annually 3.6m The population of Wallonia

36.3m The population of Canada

508m The population of the EU Reuters

Complications over the Ceta agreement had raised fresh concerns about future UK negotiations with the EU on a Brexit trade deal.

Mr Tusk had warned that the delays and wrangling were further damaging EU credibility following Britain's vote to leave the bloc.</s>BRUSSELS — Justin Trudeau has arrived in Brussels to sign Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union after seven arduous years of negotiation.

The prime minister will be meeting with the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, as well as with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Martin Schulz, the head of the European Parliament.

The texts of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, have been approved and are ready to be signed today.

Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed the deal because of its opposition to the deal's investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.

The prime minister's flight got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with a mechanical problem forcing it to return to Ottawa about 30 minutes after it took off Saturday night. After a brief period on the ground the flight left again and continued on to Belgium without further incident.</s>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European leaders have signed Canada’s free trade deal with the EU in Brussels.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, was reached after seven years of negotiation.

Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed the deal because of its opposition to the pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau spoke on Friday with European Council president Donald Tusk, who confirmed the texts of the deal, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, had been approved for signature.

The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.

The prime minister’s trip to Brussels got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with a mechanical problem forcing his flight to return to Ottawa about 30 minutes after it took off Saturday night. After more than an hour on the ground the flight left again and continued on to Belgium without further incident.

Canada will have to pass implementing legislation, which will move through the Commons easily because the Liberals have a majority of the seats. The European Parliament will also need to approve it, and EU watchers say this should not be a problem because there are enough votes behind the deal.

About 95 per cent of the agreement, including tariff reductions and the lowering of other trade barriers, can take effect after the European Union and Canada pass it. Barring unforeseen events, this is expected to happen in early- to mid-2017.

One notable exception is the court, known as investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. The mechanism sets out formal arrangements for how businesses could sue governments when state decisions affect their investments. But it does not take effect right away and may never take effect.

A question mark has been hanging over this provision of the trade pact, and the wording of the Belgian deal reached this week to seal that country’s approval indicated that responsibility for ratifying the provision for the court will lie with the parliaments of the 28 European Union member countries.

A source with knowledge of the deal said on Friday that, in fact, the investor court will come into being only if no European parliament rejects it.

“For this system to come into place, all 28 member states have to ratify it – or at least not vote CETA down,” the source said. “That is a process that could take years.”

If one country votes to reject the investor court, it will not form part of the Canada-EU deal.

“It will be all or nothing.”

The decisions that parliaments across Europe will render on the court will take two to five years, the source said.

The Trudeau government has said many decisions are still to be made about the structure of the investor court, and it hopes that tweaks to the arrangement could satisfy all legislators across 28 states. In some countries, regional governments will also have the power to vote on the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.</s>BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European leaders have signed Canada’s free trade deal with the EU in Brussels.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, was reached after seven years of negotiation.

Trudeau had initially expected to sign the deal in Brussels days ago, but the restive Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed the deal because of its opposition to the pact’s investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau spoke on Friday with European Council president Donald Tusk, who confirmed the texts of the deal, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, had been approved for signature.

The deal’s supporters say it will boost trade by billions through cuts in tariffs across a broad swath of sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and the auto industry.

The prime minister’s trip to Brussels got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with a mechanical problem forcing his flight to return to Ottawa about 30 minutes after it took off Saturday night. After more than an hour on the ground the flight left again and continued on to Belgium without further incident.</s>BRUSSELS: The European Union and Canada signed a free trade agreement on Sunday that aims to generate jobs and growth though it must still clear some 40 national and regional parliaments in Europe in the coming years to enter fully into force.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the treaty along with the heads of EU institutions, a step that should enable a provisional implementation of the pact early in 2017 with the removal of most import duties.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement’s (CETA) passage has not been smooth.

French-speakers in southern Belgium, a minority within their own small country and accounting for less than 1 per cent of the 508 million EU consumers likely to be affected by CETA, raised objections that held up the deal until a breakthrough on Thursday, confirmed by regional parliamentary votes on Friday.

“We are setting standards which will determine globalisation in the coming years,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a news conference alongside Trudeau.

“Nothing in other trade agreements will be able to remain below the level of what we have reached today with Canada.”

The Canada agreement is seen as a springboard to a larger EU deal with the United States, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Treaty (TTIP), which has been the target of labour unions and environmental and other protest groups.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said TTIP talks are not dead, contrary to what some politicians in Germany and France have said, but would need to wait for the next US president – who will take office in January – to resume.

Supporters say CETA will increase Canadian-EU trade by 20 per cent and boost the EU economy by 12 billion euros (US$13 billion) a year and Canada’s by CUS$12 billion (US$9 billion).

For Canada the deal is important to reduce its reliance on the neighbouring United States as an export market.

For the EU, it is a first trade pact with a G7 country and a success plucked from the jaws of defeat at a time when the bloc’s credibility has taken a beating from Britain’s vote in June to leave after 43 years of membership.

Around 100 anti-globalisation protesters clashed with police outside the venue in Brussels, trying to break down barriers in front of the main entrance and hurling red paint. A Reuters photographer saw police detain some people.

Sunday’s signing will not be the last act.

Assuming the European Parliament gives its assent, CETA could come into force partially early next year.

However, full implementation, which would include a contentious investment protection system, will ensue only after clearance by more than three dozen national and regional parliaments.

The Belgian experience shows this outcome is no given, but Trudeau said provisional application would unlock 98 per cent of CETA’s key measures and that consumers and businesses would immediately feel its benefits.

“We are confident that demonstrating that trade is good for the middle classes (…) will make sure that everybody gets that this is a good thing for our economies and that it is also a good thing for the world,” Trudeau said.

The main focus of protests against CETA and TTIP remains the system to protect foreign company’s investments.

Critics say its provision for arbitration panels to rule on disputes with states can be abused by multinational companies to dictate public policy, such as on environmental standards.

The EU and Canada say their investment protection system guarantees the right of governments to regulate, make use of independent judges and be more transparent.

The deal will eliminate tariffs on almost 99 per cent of goods. The beneficiaries would include, for example, carmakers or the EU textile sector, for which Canadian duties of up to 18 per cent can be imposed at present.

Service companies could also benefit and EU companies would be able to tender for public contracts at Canadian provincial and municipal level, the first time Canada has offered this.

Canada would be able to send larger quotas of pork, beef and wheat to the EU market, and EU dairy producers would be able to export more than double the current amount of ‘high quality’ cheeses to Canada. — Reuters</s>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canada-EU trade deal he signed Sunday in Brussels will have a "real impact" on people and businesses in both regions. Trudeau says once CETA is ratified, the followup will be crucial.</s>VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - The European Union and Canada leaders will sign a crucial trade deal that took years of negotiations to finalize, at a summit in Brussels on October 30, the European Commission said Saturday.



The trade agreement known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is expected to strengthen ties between the EU and Canada by creating jobs and growth through boosting trade and economic relations.



The European Commission described CETA as 'the most far reaching agreement ever concluded by the EU in the area of services and investment'. 



Several deadlines for signing the landmark deal, which took nearly seven years of negotiations, passed as the EU failed to reach a consensus among its member countries. 



The latest opposition to the pact had come from Belgium, where Wallonia and other French-speaking communities blocked the pact over concerns that it could damage local interests, leading to last-minute talks by Belgian lawmakers. 



The EU required endorsement from all of its 28 member countries to sign CETA. As approval by the Belgium parliament was pending, a signing summit planned for October 27 had to be called off.



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to attend the summit on Sunday.



CETA will remove over 99 percent of trade tariffs between the EU and Canada and increase bilateral trade by EUR 12 billion per year, the European Commission said in a statement. 



On the first day of its implementation, Canada will eliminate duties worth EUR 400 million for goods originating in the EU the figure will rise to more than EUR 500 million a year once all trade tariffs are phased out. 



Further, the trade deal will not affect governments' powers to regulate in the public interest, especially with regard to environmental and social standards, meaning EU food safety regulations, including those on genetically-modified products or the ban on hormone-treated beef will continue.



Both parties will also sign the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) during the October 30 summit that deepens bilateral cooperation on foreign policy.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the treaty along with the heads of EU institutions, a step that should enable a provisional implementation of the pact early in 2017 with the removal of most import duties.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement's (CETA) passage has not been smooth.

French-speakers in southern Belgium, a minority within their own small country and accounting for less than 1 percent of the 508 million EU consumers likely to be affected by CETA, raised objections that held up the deal until a breakthrough on Thursday, confirmed by regional parliamentary votes on Friday.

"All's well that end's well," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "We have 20 ongoing negotiations and today we are fixing the global standards the European Union and the European Commission want others to accept."

The Canada agreement is seen as a springboard to a larger EU deal with the United States, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Treaty (TTIP), which has been the target of labor unions and environmental and other protest groups.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said TTIP talks were not dead, contrary to what some politicians in Germany and France have said, but would need to wait for the next U.S. president - taking office in January - to resume.

Supporters say CETA will increase Canadian-EU trade by 20 percent and boost the EU economy by 12 billion euros ($13 billion) a year and Canada's by C$12 billion ($9 billion).

For Canada the deal is important to reduce its reliance on the neighboring United States as an export market.

For the EU, it is a first trade pact with a G7 country and a success plucked from the jaws of defeat at a time when the bloc's credibility has taken a beating from Britain's vote in June to leave after 43 years of membership.

"This has been a very long process. A huge majority of people in Europe are in favor of Europe, but there are concerns and we need to engage with them," Malmstrom said. "The Commission cannot do that alone."

Some 100 anti-globalization protesters clashed with police outside the venue in Brussels, trying to break down barriers in front of the main entrance and hurling red paint. A Reuters photographer saw police detain some people.

Sunday's signing will not be the last act.

Assuming the European Parliament gives its assent, CETA could come into force partially early next year. However, full implementation, which would include a contentious investment protection system, will ensue only after clearance by more than three dozen national and regional parliaments.

The Belgian experience shows this outcome is no given.

The main focus of protests against CETA and TTIP remains the system to protect foreign company's investments. Critics say its provision for arbitration panels to rule on disputes with states can be abused by multinational companies to dictate public policy, such as on environmental standards.

The EU and Canada say their investment protection system guarantees the right of governments to regulate, make use of independent judges and be more transparent.

The deal will eliminate tariffs on almost 99 percent of goods. The beneficiaries would include, for example, carmakers or the EU textile sector, for which Canadian duties of up to 18 percent can be imposed at present.

Service companies could also benefit and EU companies would be able to tender for public contracts at Canadian provincial and municipal level, the first time Canada has offered this.

Canada would be able to send larger quotas of pork, beef and wheat to the EU market, and EU dairy producers would be able to export more than double the current amount of "high quality" cheeses to Canada.</s>OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plane returned to Ottawa Saturday night shortly after taking off for Belgium where he was to sign a major trade deal.

The Prime Minister’s Office said there were “mechanical issues” with the plane involving the flaps.

The plane landed without incident. It had been in the air for about 30 minutes.

The flight also had departed roughly 90 minutes past the scheduled takeoff.

Trudeau is to meet with European Union leaders in Brussels on Sunday where they are to finally sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, a wide-ranging deal that was seven years in the making. He will also meet with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, who has already arrived in Brussels.

Trudeau was expected to sign the agreement earlier this week, but the Belgian region of Wallonia cast doubt over its future by opposing it. Wallonia held a veto over Belgium’s ability to support the deal, which requires the approval of all 28 EU countries.

The tiny French-speaking region of 3.5 million people opposed the deal’s investor protection provisions, taking up the cause of anti-trade and civil society groups, but Wallonia’s concerns were finally addressed on Thursday.

The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau spoke on Friday with European Council president Donald Tusk, who confirmed the texts of the deal, along with a side agreement known as the Strategic Partnership Agreement, have been approved for signature.

Canada’s International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland walked out of talks with the Europeans a week ago saying it appeared the EU was incapable of signing an agreement. She maintained Canada’s work was done and it was up to the Europeans to remove the remaining roadblocks.

After almost a week of painstaking negotiations — talks that forced Trudeau postpone his travel to Europe — the Walloons and the Belgian national government reached a deal.

The Walloons dropped their opposition following an agreement Thursday with the Belgian government that gave national and regional parliaments throughout Europe new powers over controversial investor protection provisions.

The new Belgian agreement essentially gives Europe’s individual national and regional parliaments the ability to veto the investor protection provisions at a later date.

The agreement also calls for a review of the dispute settlement mechanism by the European Court of Justice.

A Canadian government official, who was not authorized to speak by name, said the Belgian agreement does not give any new powers, and are “just declarations.”

The official said EU member states cannot pick and choose from parts of the agreement.

The official said the text of CETA has not changed since it was signed in February.

But at least one Canadian financial institution questioned the overall strength of the trade agreement.

In a research note to clients this past week, TD Economics said “uncertainty” still remains around CETA’s ultimate fate.

“Should a revised dispute system not be agreed in the coming years, CETA may still be undone (remember that it would only take one member state rejecting the revised dispute system to make the entire agreement null),” the memo said.

The Wallonia parliament voted overwhelmingly to allow the Belgian national government to support the pact.

The Council of the European Union adopted a package of decisions on matters such as signing the agreement, its provisional application and requiring the European Parliament’s consent to conclude the deal.</s>BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and Canada were set to sign a landmark trade pact on Sunday, ending days of drama after a small Belgian region refused to endorse the agreement and deeply embarrassed the EU.

The long-delayed Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement was bedeviled by yet another hold up early in the day when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plane had to return to Ottawa because of mechanical issues.

The two-hour EU-Canada summit was rescheduled to start in Brussels at 1100 GMT (7:00 EDT.)

Trudeau will sign the pact with European Council President Donald Tusk, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

“This is an important day for the EU and Canada too, because we setting international standards which will have to be followed by others with whom we are in negotiations as far as free trade is concerned,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.

Outside EU headquarters, a small but rowdy group of anti-CETA protesters gathered to block the front entrance as riot police watched.. Red paint was smeared on the building.

Police took away about 15 people, but did not break up the protest, a television news reporter for The Associated Press said.

The EU needed unanimity among all its 28 members and Belgium needed the backing of all its regions to approve the pact. Trudeau had been due to sign CETA on Thursday, but was forced to cancel his flight when the country could not sign on because of opposition from the Wallonia region.

After several rounds of talks late into the night Belgium formally gave its endorsement on Saturday morning.

Smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, Wallonia region blocked the deal between more than 500 million EU citizens and 35 million Canadians for several weeks. Politicians there argued the deal would undermine labor, environment and consumer standards and allow multinationals to crush local companies.

The EU says CETA will remove more than 99 percent of tariffs and boost trade with Canada by 12 billion euros ($13.2 billion) a year, creating economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. It insists the deal will prevent governments from protecting environmental and social standards if required.

.Work on the agreement was launched in 2009 and the text was actually finalized two years ago but sat in limbo awaiting endorsement.

The delay has raised troubling questions about the EU’s ability to seal big trade agreements. Work on a similar pact with the United States has barely advanced this year and little progress is likely before a new U.S. president takes office in January.

None of it bodes well for the trade talks that Britain will need to have with its 27 EU partners once it leaves the bloc.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and EU officials sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).