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. “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. 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 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 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. 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.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and EU officials sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).