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Berlin / AFP
Germany’s top court on Thursday gave the government the go-ahead to approve a planned EU-Canada free trade deal, in a setback for activists who had sought to block the agreement.
The Constitutional Court did set certain conditions however, stipulating that Germany may only commit to the so-called CETA deal if it wins assurances that it can quit the accord at a later stage if asked to do so by the court. Some 200,000 citizens, campaigners and leftist politicians had asked the court in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe to rule against the pact, arguing that the process had been undemocratic because no approval was given by parliament.
The ruling, which followed an emergency hearing on Wednesday, paves the way for the government to formally endorse CETA at an EU ministers’ meeting on October 18.
The deal is scheduled to be signed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Brussels on October 27.
CETA negotiations were formally concluded in 2014 but the deal has since faced fierce opposition across Europe, delaying implementation.
Opponents argue it would hand too much power to multinational companies and undermine consumer and environmental protection standards.
Activists also charge that it will set a dangerous precedent for a similar but far more ambitious agreement with the United States known as TTIP.