CETA

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was concluded in 2014 between the European Union and Canada. It entered into provisional application in September 2017.

The agreement covers most aspects of new generation trade deals, including intellectual property, public procurements, regulatory cooperation, services and elimination of tariffs.

It also includes an investment chapter with a revised investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, dubbed investment court system. Many critics on both sides of the Atlantic say that this new system is largely window-dressing and does not address the core of the problem behind investor-state dispute measures which enable foreign corporations to sue states if they deem their profits or investment potentials affected by new laws or changes in policy.

Photo: Council of Canadians

(March 2020)

Público | 4-Mar-2016
La Comisión presentó este lunes el nuevo mecanismo de resolución de disputas entre inversores y estados en el CETA, una suerte de blindaje para las multinacionales que les permite demandar a los países en los que inviertan si consideran truncadas sus "expectativas de ganancias" por cambios normativos o legales efectuados por los estados.
Huffington Post | 4-Mar-2016
Corporations can still sue governments over public policy decisions they don’t like but the real lesson from the ISDS reforms, in fact, is that public opposition and political mobilization can change things.
EU Observer | 1-Mar-2016
Despite all the talk of reform from commissioner Malmstroem, the threat to democratic decision-making is as alive and dangerous as ever.
European Commission | 29-Feb-2016
The European Commission and the Canadian Government have agreed to include a new approach on investment protection and investment dispute settlement in CETA.
Commission européenne | 29-Feb-2016
La Commission européenne et le gouvernement canadien sont convenus d’inscrire une nouvelle approche concernant la protection des investissements et le règlement des différends en matière d’investissements dans le CETA.
CTV | 17-Feb-2016
Canada is working with the European Union to revise controversial investor protection provisions in their landmark free trade deal at the direction of the new Liberal government.
CBC | 22-Jan-2016
Both sides admit surprise as deal risks losing ratification vote thanks to anti-American sentiment.
Embassy | 21-Jan-2016
CETA, China, softwood lumber among government’s top trade priorities for 2016. Canada’s government is willing to address ISDS concerns.
Reuters | 10-Dec-2015
Canada is open to rethinking the contentious issue of investor protection in its free trade accord with the European Union but warns that EU demands for change risk unraveling the entire deal.
Rabble | 2-Dec-2015
The latest speculation is that CETA isn’t likely to go before the European Parliament until mid to late 2016 or early 2017.