The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, spoke yesterday with Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission Executive Vice-President, to congratulate him on his new role as European Commissioner for Trade.
Minister Ng and Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis spoke about their shared priorities to combat climate change and pursue sustainable economic recovery. During the call, they highlighted recent progress to help more small businesses, women-owned businesses and other under-represented groups access the benefits of trade under the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and explored potential dates for the next CETA Joint Committee meeting.
Minister Ng emphasized the need to ensure that all Canadian businesses and workers benefit from CETA, and welcomed the news that the EU is preparing to fulfill its commitments related to conformity assessment under the agreement. They also discussed ongoing efforts toward the full ratification of CETA. Minister Ng raised Canada's concerns on market access for agricultural products, and asked that the EU comply with the transparency requirements of CETA's temporary entry provisions.
Minister Ng and Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis agreed to continue to work together to promote strong supply chains and rules-based trade as a key driver of global economic recovery for businesses and people around the world-including through the Canada-led Ottawa Group on reforming the WTO.
