Ex-Quebec premier criticises EU on Canada trade deal delay

A former Quebec premier has criticised Europe's decision-making process after seven years of talks on securing an EU-Canada trade deal was threatened at the last minute by internal Belgian politics.

Addressing an Ireland Canada Business Association summit in Dublin on Thursday, Jean Charest said the delays in the talks contain lessons for Europe, especially as it prepares to enter Brexit talks with the European Union.

“We found that in our experience negotiating that one of the challenges in dealing with Europe is that we often do not have in front of us a grouping where there’s firm leadership on an issue,” said Mr Charest, who served as Quebec’s premier between 2003 and 2012 and Canada’s deputy prime minister in 1993.

His comments came before Belgium’s government said on Thursday it had reached a deal with its regional Wallonian administration, which had been vetoing the international accord.

With the remaining 27 member states obliged to endorse the new deal, it is uncertain whether a cancelled EU-Canada summit that had been due to take place on Thursday will go ahead in the coming days.

‘Who owns the project?’

“Who owns the project? In Canada we knew who owned the project – and there’s nothing substantial or real change that happens without leadership,” Mr Charest said.

“So, if no one owns it, guess what, the Walloons take it and they own it for purposes of their own.”

The comments echo a famous question that former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger once reportedly asked, "Who do I call when I want to call Europe?"

Mr Charest said the difficult talks on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), which would eliminate 98 per cent of tariffs between the EU and Canada, expose challenges facing the EU as it prepares to settle down to Brexit talks next year with the United Kingdom.