In an interview with
viEUws, the European Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht, affirms that Europe wants to close the Canadian-European Trade Agreement (CETA) by the end of this year—which would have been today, since the European calendar year ends on October 31.
CETA is a trade agreement designed to strengthen economic ties between Canada and the EU through “free” trade and increased investment. However, hidden within this treaty are intellectual property provisions that were essentially taken word-for-word from
ACTA. And just like its close cousins,
ACTA, KORUS, and
TPP—and other trade agreements that are applauded by the entertainment industry for carrying expansive intellectual property provisions—CETA is being negotiated in secret.