Brussels, 15/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Talks have stumbled on market access, with the EU considering that Canada's request on meat is too ambitious and that its offer on dairy products is insufficient.
Talks on a comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada have entered their final phase with discussion held every week since the beginning of the year. This week, talks are on public procurement and services, and a sitting is scheduled next week on agriculture. According to well-informed sources, Europeans and Canadians hope to smooth out their differences as far as possible by the end of the month before another ministerial meeting during the week of 7 February between Commissioner Karel De Gucht and his Canadian counterpart, Ed Fast. The latter spoke on 22 November 2012 on the latest political trade-offs needed to finalise an agreement. The parties concerned are to agree on tariff quotas for sensitive agricultural products, pharmaceutical products and geographical indications, access to public procurement, investment, services (financial services, culture and “Mode 4”) and the automobile package (tariffs, norms and rules of origin).
Agriculture is an especially thorny issue. In particular, the parties differ over market access, with Canada presenting, as the EU sees it, an over-ambitious request on tariff quotas for exports of beef and pigmeat, and an insufficient offer for European exports of dairy produce (cheese). (EH/transl.jl)