French Senate votes against EU-Canada free-trade deal
A large majority of members of the upper house voted against ratification of the CETA free trade agreement, which many argued was one sided in favour of Canada, but the government, which supports the deal, has the option of not officially notifying Brussels of the vote, or delaying a future vote it would hope to win in the National Assembly, the lower house.
FranceFrance's Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly voted against a free-trade agreement between the EU and Canada thanks to an unusual alliance in the upper house between left- and right-wing opponents of French President Emmanuel Macron, reports FRANCE 24.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been in force provisionally since 2017, but requires ratification in all European Union member countries to take full effect.
Macron and his centrist parliamentary allies managed to get the deal approved in the National Assembly lower house in 2019 by a slim margin, but backing by the Senate upper house – where they are in a clear minority – is needed for ratification.
After scenes of tension rarely seen in the upper house, senators voted 211 against and 44 for the treaty and then confirmed the rejection with a second vote.
