Stephen Harper Insists Canada Will Stand Firm in the EU Trade Agreement Talks

Dilas International Customs Brokers has been following the potential Canada-European Union trade agreement since the trade talks began four years ago. This crucial trade deal will have a huge impact on how Customs brokers and their clients handle international business. However, that is only if the agreement actually goes through.

What once seemed like the inevitable next step for Canada in their international trade objectives now may not ever come to fruition. The trade details that would outline the pending agreement were originally expected to wrap up by the end of 2012, but too many factors are still undecided, and neither side is willing to make sacrifices.

Undecided Points of Negotiation

Canada’s demand for greater access to beef and pork exports remains the biggest undecided issue, although Canadian manufacturers also want more flexibility when it comes to shipping Canadian-assembled vehicles into the European Union. Another major gap in the negotiations has been Europe’s desire to gain greater access to cheese producers.

Canada is Not Ready to Cave

Recent comments from a senior European official suggested that the Prime Minister of Canada was minimalizing the remaining roadblocks. He implied that the deal would move forward and that Canada was ready to cave in regards to the last few discrepancies. Stephen Harper assured European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso that wasn’t the case after Friday’s G20 summit meeting in St. Petersburg.

Still Gaps that Need Bridges

Stephen Harper took control of the microphone to advise the European Union leader that Canada will stand firm on their proposed requirements for the possible Canada-European trade agreement. He commented on the substantial progress that has been made over the past four years, but finished his speech by pointing out that there were still some significant gaps that would need to be filled if an agreement was ever going to be made.

No Guarantee There Will Be an Agreement

Although the Prime Minister has always enthusiastically supported the partnership with a European market of more than 500 million consumers, he knows Canadian cattle producers would not support any agreement that does not meet their export expectations.

Stephen Harper insists that Canada will not bend in these high-stakes negotiations unless the deal satisfies the interests of Canadians and our economy. To reinforce his stance on the current negotiations, he made a point of referring to the Canada-European trade agreement in terms of “if” instead of “when.”

Dilas International Customs Brokers will continue to follow the progress of the pending trade talks and advise all of our international clients if both parties ever come to an agreement. Your personal Dilas Customs broker will make sure your business never misses out on any duty-free opportunities or new trade regulations.