Narrow majority for CETA seems in the making

CETA, the European trade agreement with Canada, seems to get a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Although the formal vote is not until next week, it seems that the ChristenUnie also supports the agreement. 

This means that the entire coalition of VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie, including independent MP Van Haga, appears to be in favor of ratification. All other opposition parties are against the deal. However, final approval is still far from certain, because the proposal must also be discussed by the Senate. There, the cabinet does not have a majority by far. 

In the discussion of the agreement in the House of Representatives last Wednesday and Thursday, the key was mainly with the ChristenUnie. The cabinet needs the support of the Christian party, which is also a member of the coalition. But the ChristenUnie wanted more guarantees from Sigrid Kaag, the Minister of Foreign Trade.

The party fears unfair competition for Dutch farmers and wants Canada to fully comply with European food safety and animal welfare requirements. However, Kaag guaranteed that no Canadian hormone meat would end up on the Dutch shelves, emphasizing that much of what is said and written about CETA is an incomplete outline of its content and consequences.

LTO Netherlands has previously expressed support for CETA. Other farmers' organizations such as the NAV (arable farming) and NMV (dairy farming) are but firmly against.

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