EU and Canada sign landmark free trade deal

The EU and Canada have signed a long-delayed free trade deal, following weeks of uncertainty due to opposition from a Belgian region.

After seven years of negotiations, the deal was signed in Brussels by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk, and Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia which currently holds the EU rotating presidency.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was originally set to be signed on Thursday but the Belgian region of Wallonia had nearly killed the deal after demanding stronger environmental, labour and consumer standards.

However, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel later announced that after marathon talks they had agreed on an addendum to the deal that addresses regional concerns, and all 28 EU states ended up approving the deal on Friday.

The deal removes 99% of trade tariffs, and officials estimate it will generate an annual increase in trade worth €10.9 billion. 

Dramatic scenes took place outside the European Council in Brussels ahead of the signing ceremony. A group of protestors managed to enter a restricted area to demonstrate against CETA, and around 15 people were taken away by police.