EU Drops Canada Trade Deal Ratification Call
Brussels removed language urging member states to ratify the Canada trade deal from a joint statement issued at the Montreal summit.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in International Trade
The European Union removed phrasing urging ratification of its decade-old trade deal with Canada from the joint statement issued at the end of the Montreal summit. Canada's envoy to the EU, Jonathan Wilkinson, confirmed the removal at a Senate foreign-affairs committee hearing.
Why it matters
Member states objected that the EU should not be telling its members what to do, and nine of the 27 EU countries have not yet ratified the agreement. Canada and the EU also signed a new alliance pact at the summit to co-operate on energy and security.
Nine of the 27 EU member states have not ratified the decade-old Canada trade agreement, and Canada's envoy Jonathan Wilkinson expects four or five of them to do so within 12 months. The projection rests on Wilkinson's own assessment, and which countries will move remains unidentified.
The players
Jonathan Wilkinson
Canada's envoy to the European Union, who confirmed the removal of the ratification language and projected how many EU states may ratify the deal.
National Rally
French political party led by Marine Le Pen, with which Canadian diplomats have held discussions regarding the trade agreement.
The details
Brussels removed the ratification language from the joint statement after member states argued the EU should not direct its members' decisions. Canadian diplomats have also spoken with members of France's National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, as part of ongoing outreach.
Timeline
Late October 2026: EU-Canada summit held in Montreal and joint statement issued
Nov. 5, 2026: Wilkinson confirms the removal before the Senate foreign-affairs committee
Within the next 12 months: Four or five non-ratifying EU countries expected to ratify the trade deal
Market Dynamics
The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), in provisional effect since 2017, still awaits full ratification by nine EU member states. The EU's decision to drop ratification urging from the Montreal statement places the stalled rollout in a long-running pattern of member-state resistance to Brussels-led trade commitments.
For businesses exporting between Canada and the EU, the status of CETA ratification determines whether tariff reductions apply across all 27 member states or only in some. The uncertainty over which countries will ratify affects planning for trade-dependent sectors.
The takeaway
Trade agreements can take effect provisionally while full national ratification remains incomplete, leaving businesses to plan around partial coverage. Monitoring ratification votes in individual EU member states offers a clearer signal of when the agreement's terms will fully apply.
Further reading
Explore more reporting in our International Trade coverage.
