EU trade deal with Canada cleared

The EU and Canada secured clearance yesterday for their contentious free trade deal and the removal of import duties that supporters say will boost growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

The two parties can claim a success for their open markets policy after months of protest and uncertainty and in the face of US President Donald Trump, who has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and wants to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement.

MEPs backed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) by 408-254, meaning large parts of the EU-Canada deal, notably tariff reduction, will enter into force some eight years after negotiations began.