A story in the Globe and Mail quotes a high-ranking European official who confirms that the EU and Canada are within striking distance of completing their long-anticipated trade deal:
Free-trade negotiations between Canada and the European Union are nearly done and a deal could be announced as early as a “few weeks,” according to the EU’s top official responsible for the Americas.
Christian Leffler, managing director of the Americas for the European Union’s External Action Service, refuted speculation that momentum is lagging in the talks after both sides failed to reach an agreement by a stated deadline of the end of 2012.
“I believe that this can be done, and I hope it will be done, in the next few weeks or the next couple of months,” he said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. “Inevitably, towards the end of a negotiation, the issues that are left are not the walkover issues. They’re the most difficult ones. … This does require those difficult political decisions to be taken on where the compromises will lie.”
Mr. Leffler’s comments come as both sides prepare for further talks in Brussels May 6-8.
The story refutes prior reports claiming that trade talks had stalled in the shadow of accelerating negotiations between the US, Europe and Asia.
