Canada EU Trade and Investment Enhancement Agreement

CERT's Canadian Chairman Roy MacLaren, called for a Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement as early as 1992, while serving as the Canadian Minister for International Trade. The cause was subsequently taken-up by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who called for a Canada-EU FTA in 1994. CERT has encouraged the European Commission and Canadian government to negotiate a far-reaching bilateral agreement to fulfill the economic potential of the Canada-EU relationship. 

At the 19 December 2002 Canada-EU Summit in Ottawa, government officials announced their intention to pursue a forward-looking agreement based on reducing regulatory obstacles to business. Negotiations on the Canada-EU Trade and Investment Enhancement Agreement (TIEA) commenced in 2004 and scheduled to conclude once the results of the current round of WTO negotiations are completed.

At a meeting of CERT representatives and Canadian and EU trade officials on the occasion of the December 2002 Summit meeting, the 2003 CERT Action Program was endorsed by EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and Canadian Minister for International Trade Pierre Pettigrew. Focusing on such areas as regulatory cooperation, capital markets, mutual recognition and competition policy, the Action Programme will provides a mechanism through which valuable business input can be contributed to the Canada-EU TIEA on an ongoing basis.