The following is excerpted from 6 September 2013 article by the Globe and Mail.
Stephen Harper is trying to dispel the impression painted by a senior European official that Canada is ready to bend in the high-stakes negotiations to strike a trade liberalization deal with the EU, a market of more than 500 million consumers…
He said Canada and the EU have made considerable progress since negotiations began four years ago, but described a conclusion of talks in terms of "if" rather than "when."…
Canada's inability to secure sufficient annual access to EU markets for beef remains the biggest issue. The EU is offering more than 40,000 tonnes a year – sources have suggested it is 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes – but the proposal has not satisfied the Harper government. Ottawa wants as much of the quota as possible to be fresh rather than frozen meat.
Canada also wants as much leeway as possible to ship Canadian-assembled cars to the EU. The Europeans want Ottawa to lengthen the effective patent protection for brand-name medicine in Canada and open up provincial and city procurement markets.
Canadian and EU negotiators are preparing to set a timetable to resume talks.
This article is available in its entirety at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-eu-trade-deal-stalls-at-g20/article14160845/#dashboard/follows/ (subscription may be required).