Trade watchers are worried that pushback over European Union trade negotiations with the United States could be spilling over into the EU’s trade talks with Canada. […]
But as EU-US talks got into full swing, the European public “woke up” to the possible inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement section, which was already included in CETA. That part lets companies seek compensation from states if government policies hurt their business interests.
There has been growing opposition to having such a section in the EU-US trade deal. The European Commission launched a public consultation on the issue, set to remain open until June.
The investment-related text the Commission released as part of that consultation comes from the approach Canada and the EU took in their agreement. […]
“The fact that the EU-US talks started…put some of the decisions that they made within [CETA] in a different light and then delayed the finalization of that process a bit more,” said Amy Verdun, a University of Victoria political science professor who focuses on the EU. […]
http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2014/05/14/ceta-optimism-souring-as–talks-drag-on/45520/?mlc=429&muid=617