Although governments will not formally announce it until mid-December, Canada’s chief negotiator says Canada’s free trade talks with the European Union are on track for completion next year.
“It’s full steam ahead,” lead Canadian negotiator Steve Verheul said Dec. 2 after appearing before the House of Commons agriculture committee to talk about the yearlong negotiation. “We are making progress. The talks will continue.”
Negotiating sessions already have been booked for Ottawa and Brussels during the first four months of 2011.
Although hard bargaining on agricultural access issues has not yet started, agricultural negotiator Gilles Gauthier told MPs Canada remains hopeful that the talks will open up new premium European markets for beef and pork, wheat, oilseeds and pulse exports.
And while the EU is expected to present a proposal early in the new year calling for more access to Canada’s dairy market, Gauthier said Canada will continue to protect its sensitive supply managed sectors.
“On our side, our position is very clear,” he told opposition MPs. “We are going to defend the interests of supply management. There are some things that are not negotiable on both sides.”
Verheul said Canada’s strategy in these talks is not just to negotiate tariff reductions but also to win European agreement that non-tariff barriers will not be used to impede real market access.
When the two sides decided last year to launch talks, they agreed there would be a two-year deadline and not a protracted negotiation.
In mid-December, trade minister Peter Van Loan and his EU counterpart will be in Ottawa to be briefed by negotiators on progress so far.
Then, the ministers will decide whether enough progress has been made to make a deal possible by the end of 2011.
