France will impose a ‘climate veto’ on the trade agreement between the EU and Canada

The French government has announced that it will impose a “climate veto” on the EU-Canada free trade agreement (CETA), in force since the end of September and its “under surveillance” application.

Several members of the Executive explained at a press conference that they will ask the European Commission to comply with the rules of “strict reciprocity” in the field of environment and health, which means that imports from Canada comply with European standards in these areas.

The Minister of the Ecological Transition, Nicolas Hulot, justified the action plan to “put the CETA under surveillance” because “there is a contradiction” between the treaty and the “commitments” acquired by France to limit the effects of climate change, in particular on the use of fossil fuels.

Hulot insisted that this measure is consistent with the position of French President Emmanuel Macron, in the sense that “in no case should we accept that we question our health or environmental rules.”

Source: https://www.fyh.es (25/10/2017)