"Today's decisions demonstrate that the disintegration of the Western community does not need to become a lasting trend," Tusk told a press conference after the ceremony, stressing that the West still possess enough strength and determination to counter fatalism of political's decay.
Tusk said free trade and globalization have protected humanity from poverty, hunger and total conflict, but few people seem to believe or understand this today, noting "Post-factual reality and post-truth politics pose a great challenge on both sides of the Atlantic."
"The alternative to free trade is isolationism and protectionism, a return to national egoisms, and as a result - the threat of violent conflict," he continued, "We should be able to convince our citizens that free trade is in their interest, and not just big companies and corporations."
Juncker also celebrated the signature of the deal. He tweeted in social media after the ceremony, saying "Done. CETA is as of today the new golden standard in trade agreements."
CETA would remove more than 99 percent of tariffs that were currently imposed on trade between the EU and Canada and was expected to increase bilateral trade by 12 billion euros (about 13.2 billion U.S. dollars) per year, the European Commission said in a press released on Sunday.
"At the end of transitional periods for duty elimination, Canada will eliminate duties worth 500 million euros a year for goods originating in the EU," the statement noted.
【国际英语资讯:EU, Canada sign landmark free trade deal after Belgian drama】相关文章:
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