VDMA President Carl Martin Welcker comments on today’s decision on the CETA by the European Parliament:

“The free trade agreement with Canada represents an important signal against isolationism, and in favour of open markets. Domestic companies, their employees and consumers all benefit from free trade. The majority in the European Parliament in favour of CETA shows that Europe genuinely wants this agreement. It’s also a signal against the rise of protectionism around the world. The vote in the Parliament also underlines the democratic nature of the arrangement.
The important thing now is for the EU to act swiftly to implement the parts of the agreement that lie in its area of competence. Even so, we must not forget just how difficult the CETA negotiations were. In future, the division of responsibilities between the EU as a whole and its member states must be made clearer. Europe must remain capable of concluding comprehensive trade agreements with important partner countries on future occasions.”

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VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) represents over 3,200 mostly medium-sized companies in the capital goods industry, making it the largest industry association in Europe.