European Parliament head tries to save EU-Canada trade talks
Ceta talks: Last-ditch bid to save EU-Canada trade deal
(35 minutes later)
The European Parliament president has called for emergency meetings to try to save a free trade deal with Canada.
Emergency talks are under way in Brussels in an effort to save an EU free trade deal with Canada (Ceta), blocked by a Belgian region.
Martin Schulz asked for separate talks with Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Paul Magnette, the head of Wallonia in Belgium, which has blocked a deal on the Ceta agreement.
European Parliament head Martin Schulz is to hold separate talks with Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and the head of Belgium's Wallonia region.
Mr Magnette is seeking clarity on safeguards to protect labour, environmental and consumer standards.
Ms Freeland abandoned talks on Friday, after seven years of negotiations.
Ms Freeland abandoned talks on Friday, after seven years of negotiations.
She said it was clear that the EU could not reach agreement even with Canada, a country that shared European values.
Failure to reach agreement on Ceta would call into question the EU's ability to forge other trade deals.
All 28 EU member states support the Ceta free trade agreement, but Belgium's constitution stipulates that each of its regional governments must back the deal before the federal government can sign it.
All 28 EU member states support the Ceta agreement, which was to be signed next week.
The French-speaking region of Wallonia has remained steadfast in its opposition to Ceta.
However, exercising its right under the Belgian federal constitution, Wallonia has called for clarity on safeguards to protect labour, environmental and consumer standards.
"We can't stop at last mile," Mr Schulz said on Twitter, saying he would meet Ms Freeland at 0730 (0530 GMT) on Saturday and Mr Magnette an hour and half later.
Ms Freeland said it was clear that the EU could not reach agreement even with Canada, a country that shared European values.
A spokesman for the Canadian trade minister was unable to confirm that the meeting would take place.
"The ball is in Europe's court," she said on Saturday, arriving at the European Parliament. "We hope that it is possible to find a solution."
The wide-ranging deal was to be signed next week.
Tweeting that the parties could not stop at the "last mile", Mr Schulz confirmed earlier that he would meet Ms Freeland first, followed by talks with Paul Magnette, the premier of Wallonia.
Belgium-Canada Ceta trade dispute bedevils EU summit
Ceta dispute bedevils EU summit
Speaking outside the seat of the Walloon government on Friday afternoon, Ms Freeland told reporters: "It seems evident for me and for Canada that the European Union is not now capable of having an international accord even with a country that has values as European as Canada."
What is Ceta?
She added: "Canada is disappointed, but I think it is impossible."
Canada and the EU would eliminate 98% of tariffs under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), which was negotiated over five years between 2009 and 2014.
At a glance: Ceta
Features include new courts for investors, harmonised regulations, sustainable development clauses and access to public sector tenders.
Environmental activists, trade unionists and some leftist politicians are among those who oppose the deal.
European Parliament briefing on Ceta
European Parliament briefing on Ceta
Why is Wallonia standing in the way?
Why does success hinge on one small region?
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or Ceta, was expected to boost bilateral trade, but Wallonia sees the accord as a threat to farmers and welfare standards.
Wallonia is a region of just 3.6 million people. The EU as a whole has a population of 508 million while there are 36.3 million Canadians.
The region has a strong socialist tradition. Its fears echo those of anti-globalisation activists, who say Ceta and deals like it give too much power to multinationals - power even to intimidate governments.
Belgium's constitution stipulates that each of its regional governments must back the deal before the federal government can sign it.
There have also been big demonstrations in several EU countries against Ceta and the TTIP trade talks with the US.
Wallonia has remained steadfast in opposing Ceta, seeing it as a threat to farmers and welfare standards.
Years in the making, days to unravel - Jessica Murphy, Canada News Editor
The French-speaking region has a strong socialist tradition. Its fears echo those of anti-globalisation activists, who say Ceta and deals like it give too much power to multinationals - power even to intimidate governments.
The Canada-EU trade deal was seven years in the making but it took far less time to unravel.
There have also been big demonstrations in several EU countries against Ceta and the TTIP trade talks between the EU and the US.
Canada has been scrambling to keep Ceta together after the Walloon regional assembly in Belgium voted last week to reject it.
How big a deal is this for Canada?
The deal was completed under Canada's former Conservative government but is a major priority for the Liberals, who are under pressure to boost the country's economy.
The deal was completed under the former Conservative government but is a major priority for the Liberals, who are under pressure to boost the country's economy, the BBC's Canada editor Jessica Murphy writes.
They dispatched special envoy Pierre Pettigrew, a former cabinet minister with a wealth of experience on the international trade file, to help save the flagging agreement.
They dispatched special envoy Pierre Pettigrew, a former cabinet minister with a wealth of experience in international trade, to help save the flagging agreement.
Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has met repeatedly over the past months with European leaders to shepherd it through, but with no luck.
Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has repeatedly met European leaders in recent months to shepherd it through.
An embarrassment for the EU - Laurence Peter, Europe Editor
On Friday, she said agreement now seemed "impossible".
The failure to clinch the EU-Canada Ceta deal is an embarrassment for the EU. Wallonia, a region of just 3.6 million people, has all but scuppered a trade deal affecting 508 million Europeans and 36.3 million Canadians.
How does the EU look now?
The European Commission says this blow does not mean that Ceta is over, but it also refuses to unpick the massive text that was agreed with Canada in 2014.
The failure to clinch the EU-Canada Ceta deal is an embarrassment, writes Laurence Peter, the BBC website's EU analyst.
Any EU free trade deals with the US, China or India now look remote. Anti-globalisation groups, anxious to protect Europe's welfare and environmental standards, may feel they are winning the argument.
The European Commission insists Ceta is not over but it also refuses to unpick the massive text.
For now, any Ceta boost for small businesses and jobs has been postponed. The failure gives us a sense of how tough the Brexit talks will be, despite the UK's current alignment with its EU partners.
Chances of any EU free trade deals with the US, China or India now look remote. Anti-globalisation groups, anxious to protect Europe's welfare and environmental standards, may feel they are winning the argument.
Failure is bad news for Brexit - Andrew Walker, Economics Correspondent
For now, any Ceta boost for small businesses and jobs has been postponed.
One very obvious lesson from this impasse is that it is going to be difficult for the European Union to implement trade and investment deals, perhaps with anyone.
Are there lessons for Brexit?
For the UK post-Brexit it suggests two contrasting implications. Negotiating a trade agreement that gives British exporters barrier free access to the EU's single market could be a huge challenge.
A very obvious one is that it is going to be difficult for the EU to implement trade and investment deals, perhaps with anyone, writes Andrew Walker, the BBC's economics correspondent.
For sure, there will be some important differences. For the EU, Britain is a more important export market than Canada, so some EU states will have a good deal to lose from failing to agree. But securing the agreement of all of them is unlikely to be straightforward.
For the UK post-Brexit, it suggests two contrasting implications:
On the other hand, negotiating an agreement with other countries outside the EU should become easier. To put it bluntly, the British government won't need to care what the Walloon parliament, for example, thinks.
