France Approves Action Plan for CETA

The French government gave the green light to an “action plan” last week for the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), following a domestic review of the trade accord’s expected impacts on different public policy areas. Along with addressing the pact’s implementation, it also calls for taking on additional, complementary steps with the EU’s North American counterparts on climate action, as well as advocating for even more robust sustainable development provisions in future trade accords. “This action plan demonstrates the government’s determination, along with that of the European Commission and EU member states, working closely with Canada, to make sure that the CETA is applied in an exemplary fashion, to step up its actions against climate change, and to be more ambitious when it comes to the environmental, social, and health-related aspects of European trade policy,” states the press release by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The EU-Canada trade deal has long been the subject of scrutiny among some civil society groups, who have raised concerns that the accord could weaken the EU’s future ability to set and enforce stringent rules on health and environmental protection, despite assurances from EU and Canadian officials on the subject...