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)

Euractiv | 12-Feb-2024
The European Commission and Canada have agreed on the “interpretation” of parts of their trade agreement that relate to investor protection from environmental regulation, in a push by Brussels to persuade member states to ratify the bilateral multibillion-euro deal.
Euractiv | 7-Mar-2023
Environmental organisations are threatening to bring about a court challenge to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada, just as the ratification of the agreement is set to be on the agenda.
Saskia Bricmont | 25-Jan-2023
This report analyzes the proposed interpretive guidance on the Investment Chapter of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union.
Saskia Bricmont | 25-Jan-2023
La déclaration en voulant clarifier les choses crée de nouvelles zones de flou et, en définitive, tout dépend de la conception que les arbitres devant régler un différend précis se font du lien entre la transition et la protection des investissements.
RTBF | 2-Jan-2023
L’accord de libre-échange entre le Canada et l’Union Européenne, le CETA est provisoirement entré en vigueur en 2017. Cinq ans plus tard des questions persistent autour des mécanismes d’arbitrage des différends entre Etats et investisseurs privés.
Euractiv | 14-Nov-2022
The German government has announced its intention to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, following similar decisions in other large EU countries, which left activists jubilant.
La Tribune | 14-Nov-2022
Cette convention permet aux géants de l’énergie de se retourner contre les États signataires qui mèneraient des politiques climatiques défavorables à leurs investissements. Dans le même temps, l’Allemagne va ratifier l’accord CETA.
Foodwatch | 30-Sep-2022
The trade agreement disempowers the European Parliament and strengthens the influence of corporations.
Trade Justice Network | 23-Aug-2022
Nous, organisations de la société civile canadienne et allemande, exprimons notre opposition à l’AÉCG, qui protège les intérêts des entreprises au détriment de l’action climatique, environnementale et sociale et de la prise de décision démocratique.
Trade Justice Network | 23-Aug-2022
We Canadian and German civil society organizations express our continued opposition to CETA, which protects corporate interests at the expense of climate, environmental and social action and democratic decision-making.