News Content
EU-Canada trade pact provisionally cleared by German top court
GERMANY's top court provisionally cleared a controversial trade agreement the European Union has with Canada though other litigation is still pending against it.
The German government can now agree to the deal as long as it can revoke provisions that it finds have an adverse effect.
The order, issued by the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, also requires that the planned provisional implementation of the pact is limited to some core areas where the EU has sole jurisdiction and that a committee set up under the treaty is subject to some democratic control.
The EU and Canada have been negotiating the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, since 2009.
Like its counterpart TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, being thrashed out between the US and the EU, CETA has come under public criticism on both sides of the Atlantic.
Opponents argue the accords will cost thousands of jobs, promote industrial agriculture and lower standards.
Activist groups, national opposition lawmakers and a member of the European parliament have sued over the pact and asked the judges to make the German government veto the plan.
The German suits say CETA would undermine the principle of democracy because the EU transgressed its powers by negotiating it and bypasses parliament by entrusting some rulemaking to a committee set up under the treaty.
They also complained the EU plans to allow provisional implementation of the rules even before national parliaments have ratified them.
EU ministers are scheduled to clear CETA in a vote on October 18 and the pact is due to be signed at a EU-Canada summit on October 27.
The pact would cut trade barriers between the EU's market of more than 500 million people and Canada, the world's 10th biggest economy last year.
The German government can now agree to the deal as long as it can revoke provisions that it finds have an adverse effect.
The order, issued by the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, also requires that the planned provisional implementation of the pact is limited to some core areas where the EU has sole jurisdiction and that a committee set up under the treaty is subject to some democratic control.
The EU and Canada have been negotiating the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, since 2009.
Like its counterpart TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, being thrashed out between the US and the EU, CETA has come under public criticism on both sides of the Atlantic.
Opponents argue the accords will cost thousands of jobs, promote industrial agriculture and lower standards.
Activist groups, national opposition lawmakers and a member of the European parliament have sued over the pact and asked the judges to make the German government veto the plan.
The German suits say CETA would undermine the principle of democracy because the EU transgressed its powers by negotiating it and bypasses parliament by entrusting some rulemaking to a committee set up under the treaty.
They also complained the EU plans to allow provisional implementation of the rules even before national parliaments have ratified them.
EU ministers are scheduled to clear CETA in a vote on October 18 and the pact is due to be signed at a EU-Canada summit on October 27.
The pact would cut trade barriers between the EU's market of more than 500 million people and Canada, the world's 10th biggest economy last year.
Latest News
- For the first time, tianjin Port realized the whole process of dock operati...
- From January to August, piracy incidents in Asia increased by 38%!The situa...
- Quasi-conference TSA closes as role redundant in mega merger world
- Singapore says TPP, born again as CPTPP, is now headed for adoption
- Antwerp posts 5th record year with boxes up 4.3pc to 10 million TEU
- Savannah lifts record 4 million TEU in '17 as it deepens port
