Ruud Koole, PvdA party member in the Senate, writes in de Volkskrant that the international situation is decisive. ‘In today’s unstable world, the rules-based international legal order is under pressure and a war is raging on the European continent. It is therefore extremely important to maintain and strengthen the ties with Canada, which, like our country, is a great proponent of that international legal order.’
He also emphasizes Germany, where the left-wing coalition with the Greens and the SPD recently decided to ratify Ceta. “Together with countries like Canada and Germany, the international progressive struggle for a climate- and worker-friendly international order can be waged with force.”
This means that the government still has the green light to have the treaty put to the vote in the Senate on Tuesday with peace of mind. The outcome of this was very uncertain since the House of Representatives adopted the treaty at the beginning of 2020 with the smallest possible majority. The PvdA voted against, even though the later party leader Lilianne Ploumen, when she was still the trade minister, had fervently advocated the treaty.
In the Senate, the coalition does not have a majority, so at least one opposition party had to be convinced. The PvdA has six seats, just enough to help the cabinet out of the fire. If the Senate fails to do so, the treaty, which has in practice been largely in force since 2017, would be rendered inoperative for the entire EU. Now that the PvdA is gone, that scenario has been averted.
The trade agreement is intended to facilitate trade between Canada and the EU, including by abolishing import duties. Outside the coalition, the treaty has encountered a motley crew of political opposition. The SGP is predominately concerned about increasing competition for Dutch livestock farmers by Canadian farmers, while left-wing parties mainly object to the less strict Canadian environmental and animal welfare rules and to the supposed increasing power of multinational companies. PVV and Forum for Democracy are against because they believe that the Netherlands is relinquishing too much sovereignty with such a supranational treaty.
Minister Kaag, who defended the treaty in the House of Representatives at the time, did not understand all this criticism. She tirelessly pointed out that the treaty has been in force since September 2017 and that the Netherlands has mainly benefited from it. Immediately in 2018, trade between Canada and the EU showed a sharp rise.
The PvdA faction in the Senate considers the advantages to be greater than the disadvantages across the board. ‘Ceta is a good treaty for workers’ rights and the climate. The Paris climate goals apply to Ceta. And through Ceta, Canada also subscribes to the fundamental protocols of the International Labor Organization (ILO) for decent working conditions.’
Koole points out that rejecting Ceta would mean that the old trade agreements with Canada would apply again, in which those matters are less well regulated. ‘And then you, as Europe, say no to a country that, like us, wants to promote the international legal order and takes the climate crisis seriously. You weaken Europe then, and that’s just what we can’t have now, given the international relations.’