By Jean-Mathieu Potvin
The Free Trade Agreement between Europe and Canada (CETA) will also facilitate intra-company transfers and mutual recognition of qualifications
The EU and Canada have concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement
Author: Consulate General of France in Montreal
consulfrance- montreal.org/L-Union- European-and-the-Canada
published on 24/10/2013
After several months of negotiations, the Canadian authorities and the European Commission reached an agreement on the essential elements of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). It will be the first free trade agreement between the European Union and the G8. To enter into force, it must be approved by the Council and the European Parliament, the Canadian federal government and ratified by the 28 members of the European Union and 10 Canadian provinces.
Link lasting trust
The economic relationship between the European Union (EU) and Canada is old. It builds on a framework for cooperation adopted in 1976, the first such agreement concluded by the EU with an industrialized country.
It has led to an important partnership in 2012, Canada was the 12th trading partner of the EU in order of decreasing importance: 1.8% of total EU external trade was with this country. Based on 2011 figures, the EU was the second largest trading partner after the United States, and trade with it accounted for 10.4% of total foreign trade. The value of bilateral trade between the EU and Canada was € 61.8 billion in 2012.
Concerning more specifically France and Quebec, bilateral trade represents about 45% of Franco-Canadian trade: 2.26 billion CAD of exports from France to Quebec and 1.2 billion CAD of exports from Quebec to France (2012).
Machinery, transport equipment and chemicals represent a predominant share of exports of European goods to Canada, and also occupy an important place in Canadian imports into the EU.
Services - professionals, transport, banking and insurance - are an important part of these exchanges. Investment remains the primary mechanism by which perform the provision of services and industrial production. In 2011, the amount of EU investment in Canada was around € 220 billion, while Canadian investment in the EU amounted to almost € 140 billion.
The new agreement should deepen this partnership
Knowing that negotiators must resolve the remaining technical issues before making it public, the agreement will remove more than 99% of tariffs between the two economies and create significant opportunities for market access which to services and investment. In the area of public procurement, Canada has not only made commitments at the federal level, but it has also opened its markets to European bidders federated entities in a measure never before, providing them new and unique opportunities.
Among the many benefits of the agreement also included the improvement of the protection of intellectual property rights and designations of European agricultural products in Canada. Once implemented, the agreement would increase bilateral trade in goods and services by 23% or € 26 billion, which will benefit the growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. The overall positive effects of the agreement should raise the level of annual EU GDP of around 12 billion € per year.
For France and Quebec, the growth of bilateral trade is expected to eventually be in the range of 20-25%.
The main elements of the agreement
Customs and Trade:
Upon its entry into force, the elimination of tariffs on 99% of tariff, total lines in industrial, with transitional provisions for certain agricultural products. Regarding the latter, considered sensitive during negotiations (dairy for Canada, beef, pork and sweet corn for the EU), it was agreed that a new market access, representing 1% respectively additional 1.9% of tariff lines will be given in the form of tariff quotas.
Limitation of technical barriers, harmonization of standards and procedures for standardization and certification and reducing costs of compliance;
Strengthened to facilitate the exchange of plant products health agreement;
Facility services companies in previously protected sectors (financial services, telecommunications, maritime transport, etc..) Access, although some sectors should be excluded, as some services related to water or health.
People:
Ease of temporary movement of personnel, including thinning of intra-corporate transferees;
Mutual recognition of professional qualifications: the image of the agreement between France and Quebec, the agreement provides a framework for future mutual recognition of qualifications in professions such as architect, engineer or accountant.
Investments:
Removal or mitigation of barriers to investment in both the horizontal and sectoral level, improving legal certainty and predictability for businesses;
Provisions corresponding to the best practices adopted by the EU within the framework of their bilateral investment treaties.
Public procurement:
The agreement will cover indeed federal, provincial and municipal markets in Canada (with the exception of certain contracts explicitly excluded), or € 19 billion in 2008 for government contracts and € 112 billion in 2011 to municipal markets. It will only apply to procurement of a certain size. The threshold will be $ 315,000 for goods and services, $ 631,000 for contracts by utilities and $ 7.8 million for construction services (including roadworks);
Creating a single website for the electronic procurement Canadian markets.
Intellectual Property:
Harmonization of protections: CETA to the levels of protection of intellectual property rights applied in Canada that has underway in the EU, which will benefit the pharmaceutical industry and exporters of agricultural products specific geographical origin;
European recognition of geographical indications protected: examples include Grana Padano, Roquefort, Kalamata Olives Elia or Aceto balsamico di Modena. The agreement provides for the possibility to add other names to the list of products in the future.
Keyword: CETA , Canada , Immigration Canada , CETA , Europe , European Union , free trade , immigration , Immigration to Canada , temporary migration , intra-company transfer , free trade , mutual recognition of professional qualifications , work permits , mutual recognition professional qualifications , intra-company transfer , European Union , work permit
The Free Trade Agreement between Europe and Canada (CETA) will also facilitate intra-company transfers and mutual recognition of qualifications
The EU and Canada have concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement
Author: Consulate General of France in Montreal
consulfrance- montreal.org/L-Union- European-and-the-Canada
published on 24/10/2013
After several months of negotiations, the Canadian authorities and the European Commission reached an agreement on the essential elements of a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). It will be the first free trade agreement between the European Union and the G8. To enter into force, it must be approved by the Council and the European Parliament, the Canadian federal government and ratified by the 28 members of the European Union and 10 Canadian provinces.
Link lasting trust
The economic relationship between the European Union (EU) and Canada is old. It builds on a framework for cooperation adopted in 1976, the first such agreement concluded by the EU with an industrialized country.
It has led to an important partnership in 2012, Canada was the 12th trading partner of the EU in order of decreasing importance: 1.8% of total EU external trade was with this country. Based on 2011 figures, the EU was the second largest trading partner after the United States, and trade with it accounted for 10.4% of total foreign trade. The value of bilateral trade between the EU and Canada was € 61.8 billion in 2012.
Concerning more specifically France and Quebec, bilateral trade represents about 45% of Franco-Canadian trade: 2.26 billion CAD of exports from France to Quebec and 1.2 billion CAD of exports from Quebec to France (2012).
Machinery, transport equipment and chemicals represent a predominant share of exports of European goods to Canada, and also occupy an important place in Canadian imports into the EU.
Services - professionals, transport, banking and insurance - are an important part of these exchanges. Investment remains the primary mechanism by which perform the provision of services and industrial production. In 2011, the amount of EU investment in Canada was around € 220 billion, while Canadian investment in the EU amounted to almost € 140 billion.
The new agreement should deepen this partnership
Knowing that negotiators must resolve the remaining technical issues before making it public, the agreement will remove more than 99% of tariffs between the two economies and create significant opportunities for market access which to services and investment. In the area of public procurement, Canada has not only made commitments at the federal level, but it has also opened its markets to European bidders federated entities in a measure never before, providing them new and unique opportunities.
Among the many benefits of the agreement also included the improvement of the protection of intellectual property rights and designations of European agricultural products in Canada. Once implemented, the agreement would increase bilateral trade in goods and services by 23% or € 26 billion, which will benefit the growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. The overall positive effects of the agreement should raise the level of annual EU GDP of around 12 billion € per year.
For France and Quebec, the growth of bilateral trade is expected to eventually be in the range of 20-25%.
The main elements of the agreement
Customs and Trade:
Upon its entry into force, the elimination of tariffs on 99% of tariff, total lines in industrial, with transitional provisions for certain agricultural products. Regarding the latter, considered sensitive during negotiations (dairy for Canada, beef, pork and sweet corn for the EU), it was agreed that a new market access, representing 1% respectively additional 1.9% of tariff lines will be given in the form of tariff quotas.
Limitation of technical barriers, harmonization of standards and procedures for standardization and certification and reducing costs of compliance;
Strengthened to facilitate the exchange of plant products health agreement;
Facility services companies in previously protected sectors (financial services, telecommunications, maritime transport, etc..) Access, although some sectors should be excluded, as some services related to water or health.
People:
Ease of temporary movement of personnel, including thinning of intra-corporate transferees;
Mutual recognition of professional qualifications: the image of the agreement between France and Quebec, the agreement provides a framework for future mutual recognition of qualifications in professions such as architect, engineer or accountant.
Investments:
Removal or mitigation of barriers to investment in both the horizontal and sectoral level, improving legal certainty and predictability for businesses;
Provisions corresponding to the best practices adopted by the EU within the framework of their bilateral investment treaties.
Public procurement:
The agreement will cover indeed federal, provincial and municipal markets in Canada (with the exception of certain contracts explicitly excluded), or € 19 billion in 2008 for government contracts and € 112 billion in 2011 to municipal markets. It will only apply to procurement of a certain size. The threshold will be $ 315,000 for goods and services, $ 631,000 for contracts by utilities and $ 7.8 million for construction services (including roadworks);
Creating a single website for the electronic procurement Canadian markets.
Intellectual Property:
Harmonization of protections: CETA to the levels of protection of intellectual property rights applied in Canada that has underway in the EU, which will benefit the pharmaceutical industry and exporters of agricultural products specific geographical origin;
European recognition of geographical indications protected: examples include Grana Padano, Roquefort, Kalamata Olives Elia or Aceto balsamico di Modena. The agreement provides for the possibility to add other names to the list of products in the future.
Keyword: CETA , Canada , Immigration Canada , CETA , Europe , European Union , free trade , immigration , Immigration to Canada , temporary migration , intra-company transfer , free trade , mutual recognition of professional qualifications , work permits , mutual recognition professional qualifications , intra-company transfer , European Union , work permit