CETA sign

CETA: European Food and Agriculture Standards Under Threat

CETA stealthily packages several other controversial elements that leave a bitter taste for European Food and Agriculture. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) Europe, Greenpeace and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) have launched three briefing papers that outline why CETA’s deregulatory provisions undermine European food safety standards, Europeans’ desire to know where their food comes from and their aversion to cloning.

On 21 September, the EU-Canadian free trade agreement known as CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) provisionally comes into force. Or rather, “most of the agreement” does. It’s provisional because should even one of the 28 EU member states refuse to ratify it—it will cease to exist. This means that large parts of CETA will be activated before ratification by the parliaments of EU member states. However, EU member states can still choose not to ratify it, in which case CETA will be rejected in its entirety. Before EU parliamentarians make their decision, they must confront a series of critical questions regarding CETA and its implications for the future of European food and agriculture.

CETA: European Food and Agriculture Standards Under Threat Blog