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CETA is OVER: Belgian PM kills trade deal in devastating blow to EU

Charles Michel said after a meeting with regional leaders: “I have officially told Tusk that we have no agreement.” The EU had given Belgium until Monday to overcome opposition to the CETA trade deal from its French-speaking south before it would likely have to cancel a Thursday summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sign the pact. Mr Michel said he was still open to dialogue with the main holdout, the region of Wallonia, and that it was too early to say whether CETA was dead.EU and Canadian leaders have said they are keen to conclude the deal after years of negotiation. Mr Michel could not provide the consent of Belgium to that of the other 27 EU member states without backing from five regional authorities. Read the rest here 11:11