EU and Canada Sign CETA Free Trade Deal

The European Union and Canada have signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Sunday.

#CETA signature at today's #EUCanada 🇨🇦🇪🇺 Summit, a landmark in our bilateral relations pic.twitter.com/RH5yQpo2nb

— EP President (@EP_President) 30 октября 2016 г.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the heads of EU institutions signed the deal.

"Today, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA)," the European Commission said in a press release.

CETA & EU-Canada Strategic Partnership Agreement signed! I'm proud to sign our two landmark agreements with Canada. pic.twitter.com/RDGJJeev0j

— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) 30 октября 2016 г.

The partial implementation of the deal will start after the EU Parliament adopts the document.  To enter into force, CETA should be ratified by all European Union members.

CETA aims to establish a free trade zone between Canada and the European Union. In 2013, Ottawa and Brussels reached an agreement on key elements of the deal. European critics of CETA claim it would undermine standards and regulations on environmental protection, health and safety and workers' rights.

The agreement was at first blocked by the Belgium’s French-speaking region of Wallonia but on Thursday Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said that the parties had finally managed to reach consensus.