On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate gave the green light for the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Canada, also known as CETA, in a roll-call vote. 40 senators voted in favor – including the opposition party PvdA – and 35 against. The trade agreement had been partially in force since 2017, but still had to be ratified by the EU member states. The Netherlands is the sixteenth EU country to adopt the treaty, eleven have yet to do so.
In the Netherlands, the treaty has been dividing political parties among themselves and internally for years. Last weekend it was announced that the Senate parliamentary party of the PvdA was going to help the CETA trade agreement to a majority after all. This was necessary to avoid a new disappointment for the cabinet: the ruling parties are in the minority in the Senate. PvdA senator Ruud Koole defended his party’s choice on Tuesday by saying that CETA is “not ideal”, but “it does contribute to a strong EU in an unstable world”. His statement was met with laughter.
Open letter youth department
The voting behavior of the PvdA senate faction is remarkable, because the House of Representatives faction voted against the treaty in 2020. A month ago, the opposition made another attempt to stop the ratification of CETA. A motion to withdraw the treaty was supported by the entire opposition, including the Labor Party. The youth organization of the Social Democrats called the party through an open letter — “A vote for CETA is a vote against a progressive future” — on to vote against.
Also read: PvdA – actually for years – divided over CETA
During Monday’s debate in the Senate about CETA, the opposition was very critical of the trade agreement. Mainly the ICS (Investment Court System) was criticized. Through this independent arbitration court, companies can file claims against countries if they believe they are unfairly disadvantaged by national law. Senator Pim van Ballekom (VVD) defended the ICS, and said that “the idea that there is a diarrhea of claims coming to the Netherlands” is not based on truth. According to the VVD, it would also be negative to leave CETA now.
CETA eliminates almost all trade tariffs between the EU and Canada. This should lead to more exports between EU countries and Canada, more economic growth and more employment. According to the European Commission, European exporters may save 500 million euros per year through the trade agreement. The Netherlands could earn between 600 million and 1.2 billion euros annually. Products going from Canada to the EU must now meet EU criteria.