A man dressed like a clown with a sticker and a T-shirt reading ‘TTIP game over’ gestures as behind him demonstrators face Belgian police officers during a protest against CETA at European Union Commission headquarters in Brussels on Thursday (AFP photo)

BRUSSELS — Belgium announced a breakthrough on Thursday to save a landmark EU-Canada free trade deal by winning over domestic holdouts who threatened to torpedo the agreement and further damage Europe's international credibility. Politically decentralized Belgium has for weeks been unable to agree to sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada because of opposition chiefly from the French-speaking region of Wallonia, whose regional government has a veto over international accords. Ten days after the Wallonian parliament blocked its progress, the region’s main concerns continue to focus on a controversial investor court which would allow corporates to sue governments, and fears about the impact of CETA on the region’s agricultural, particularly dairy, industry.
Belgian politicians, including those from the dissident Wallonia region, agree on Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement language that addresses Walloon concerns. This ends the deadlock on CETA, though the revised text must again be approved by the other 27 EU member states.