Canada told security, human rights and sustainable development key to possible free-trade deal with EU

OTTAWA — The European Union’s new ambassador to Canada says any potential free-trade deal between the two sides is contingent on a side agreement on security, human rights, and sustainable development that includes a “suspension clause” for which the Harper government continues to have concerns.

Canada, however, is rejecting the EU’s assessment of the situation, as the two sides continue to battle over an elusive free-trade agreement that the Harper government initially promised would be completed by the end of 2012.

New EU Ambassador Marie-Anne Coninsx said Tuesday the two sides must complete a wide-ranging “Strategic Partnership Agreement” (SPA) — a broad umbrella agreement for co-operating on a number of fronts — before the European Union will proceed with any free-trade agreement with Canada.

“Our position is that there is a linkage,” Coninsx said in a briefing Tuesday with reporters in Ottawa.

But a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Canada disagrees with the EU, insisting there is no need to conclude the strategic partnership agreement before completing the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

(2013-10-09/canada)