During a speech in the Chamber this Thursday, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez looked back on the record of CETA, the trade agreement between the European Union and Canada.
At the time of the negotiations, the agreement faced widespread criticism. Some warned it would threaten public services, agriculture or SMEs. Nearly ten years later, the results tell a very different story.
Since CETA came into force, Walloon exports to Canada have grown spectacularly. Agri-food exports have tripled and 98% of customs barriers have been removed for businesses. The trade balance is now positive, and the economic benefits for Wallonia are estimated at several billion euros.
For Georges-Louis Bouchez, this issue illustrates a simple truth: when the MR champions economic openness, innovation and international trade, results follow.
The MR President also recalled that the same debate had pitted supporters of developing e-commerce at Liège airport against those who defended maintaining nuclear power in Belgium. Choices that were often contested at the time but proved beneficial for the economy, employment and the country's energy security.
Faced with international challenges and competition from major powers, the MR is calling for an open Europe, capable of concluding new trade agreements and creating new opportunities for its businesses.
“Facts are stubborn. Where some predicted disaster, we achieved growth, jobs and new opportunities for Wallonia,” Georges-Louis Bouchez stressed.