The French-speaking area in southern Belgium fears local workers will be laid off if the agreement leads to cheaper farming and industrial imports.
Juncker said Wallonia's problem with CETA is "not technical or substantial but political." He expressed hope to find a solution in the coming few days as he called CETA "the best trade agreement" the EU has ever negotiated.
The trade deal with Canada could be the bloc's last free trade agreement if it fails, warned European Council President Donald Tusk.
Encouragingly, Romania dropped its opposition to the deal during the summit after securing visa-free access to Canada for its citizens, which starts from Dec. 1, 2017.
"We are in a position to withdraw our reservations against CETA," Romanian President Klaus Johannis said Friday in Brussels.
The EU-Canada free trade deal was reached in August 2014 after five years of negotiations, aiming to eliminate 98 percent of tariffs between the two sides.
MOUNTING PRESSURE ON RUSSIA
The EU leaders on Friday "held a strategic policy debate on relations with Russia," according to a summary document released after the first day's meeting.
Accusing Russia's strategy of attempting to weaken the EU, Tusk told a news conference that the EU and its member states will continue in their efforts to put pressure on Russia.
As to the situation in the war-torn Aleppo, the EU leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for a resumption of a credible political process under UN auspices.
【国际英语资讯:Spotlight: EU wraps up two-day summit, seeking to solve thorny issues of migration, trade, Ru】相关文章:
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