July 23, 2019
Ceta is debating certain risks that the treaty would raise concerns for health and ecology. Faced with this vagueness, an additional week was granted to parliamentarians before the vote.
Four risks to health and ecology
Ceta (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) is an economic and trade agreement between the European Union and Canada which will soon be put to the vote of the deputies. Trade in goods between the two blocs reached 64.3 billion euros in 2016. Ceta would mainly allow the elimination of customs duties on traded products. However, the consequences of this free trade agreement could endanger the planet as well as the health of the French.
The free trade agreement would lead to an increase in pollution linked to the increase in imports and exports. Food could also be less healthy since imports have an impact on the development of local production but also on short circuits. The standards would be more flexible with Canadian standards less restrictive than those of the European Union and France. Finally, the rights of States would be weakened since Ceta’s dispute settlement mechanisms promote investor rights by bypassing national and European jurisdictions. Parallel justice would thus allow investors to question a public decision that could negatively impact their profits.
A less healthy diet
The weakening of standards is a major issue for the health of the French. Even though the government says EU law would deny Canadian beef fed meat and bone, processed animal meal was not mentioned in the treaty. These include mixing hair, blood or fat and are currently banned in the European Union.
Likewise, there is some uncertainty regarding meats containing antibiotics. Producers must respect European limits on the use of antibiotics. However, no clause in Ceta indicates the modalities guaranteeing that the exported products meet these standards. These differences in standards could also penalize French farmers in the face of stronger Canadian competition. In the long term, this could encourage European producers to consider intensive agriculture. Bad news for the climate.
Stephanie Haerts
Read also : 7 things to know about antibiotics
