French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he “regrets” the Senate’s vote to reject legislation to ratify a trade deal between the European Union and Canada that has been criticized by farmers as bringing unfair competition from abroad.
“It’s a very good agreement” that benefits to the French farming industry, Macron argued.
“Is it good or bad for our agriculture? The assessment is extremely clear. It’s very good for milk, it’s very good for cheese, it’s very good for wine.”
The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, provisionally went into effect in September 2017 after all EU governments agreed to it, but its full implementation requires approval by each national parliament.
Thursday’s vote in the French Senate does not necessarily mean that the country ultimately will reject ratification.
French senators’ vote comes after farmers across France and Europe demonstrated on their tractors earlier this year in protests over low earnings, heavy regulation and what they call unfair competition from abroad, often criticizing free-trade agreements, including the CETA.
While Macron’s centrist alliance advocated for the CETA, conservative and leftist senators joined their votes to reject the ratification bill.
