Update 12.18pm: The Belgian government has reached an agreement to back the free trade deal between the European Union and Canada.

IRELAND and Canada share many close ties. Hundreds of thousands of Irish people have emigrated to Canada in the past and even today Canada provides a safe harbour for our youth fleeing the fall of the Celtic Tiger.

European Commission President Romano Prodi lashed the EU’s new draft constitution today, saying it “lacks vision and ambition” and fails to address problems facing the bloc.