Insights and Stories on Belgium

Oct. 27, 2016 at 9:12 am CDT

Brussels | Reuters — Belgium agreed a deal with its regional parliaments on Thursday to approve a landmark EU-Canada free trade agreement, breaking a deadlock that has blocked the pact for weeks. Prime Minister Charles Michel said the heads of the regions had drawn up an addendum to the agreement […]

By Robert-Jan Bartunek

Oct. 26, 2016 at 5:55 pm CDT

Brussels | Reuters –– Belgian politicians failed to break their deadlock over a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Wednesday, but agreed to resume talks on Thursday in a sign they may be nearing a consensus that would keep the deal alive. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), seven years […]

By philip-blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek

Oct. 25, 2016 at 4:40 pm CDT

Brussels | Reuters — A court ruling early next year may help the European Union out of the kind of embarrassing situation it has just landed in, where a regional assembly in Belgium is blocking a major trade agreement between Canada and the 28 sovereign states of the EU. Belgian […]

By philip-blenkinsop

Oct. 24, 2016 at 1:31 pm CDT

Brussels | Reuters — The European Union’s hopes of signing a landmark free trade deal with Canada this week appeared to evaporate on Monday as the Belgian federal government failed to win the consent of French-speaking regional authorities. European Council President Donald Tusk had given Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel […]

By philip-blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek

Oct. 22, 2016 at 4:01 pm CDT

Brussels | Reuters — Canada said on Saturday it was up to the European Union to save a free trade deal that could boost both economies but that cannot be signed as planned next week due to opposition from Belgium’s French-speaking region. The Walloon government was awaiting new proposals from […]

By Alissa de Carbonnel, philip-blenkinsop