Status: Not Ratified
Greece has a unicameral system, requiring the Hellenic Parliament to ratify CETA. The current Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and his New Democracy Party (in power since 2019) support CETA. However, the government has not launched parliamentary discussions about the ratification of the agreement. Nikos Papathanassis, the Alternate Development and Investment Minister of Greece, says that ratification will take the process as soon as the current issues in Greece are resolved. The interest in start-ups and investments will benefit the two countries that can further deepen with the CETA bill. In addition, Greece and Canada’s cooperation in education, innovative improvement, and the transition to a greener economy are some of the benefits that CETA can bring the two countries.
Public debate
While Prime Minister Mitsotakis and the New Democracy Party support ratification, contestation has been intensive. The previous Greek government, led by the Syriza Party, was more skeptical of CETA, along with the Community Party and the ultra-nationalist Greek Solution Party. Opponents have focused on the investor-statement dispute settlement provisions, food and health standards, and agricultural economic interests. Opponents’ economic interests focus on the lack of access to the Canadian dairy market. Additionally, dairy interests want a geographical indicator for feta cheese, and fear competition from Canadian-made “feta”. Opposing CSOs include trade unionists, agricultural associations, environmentalists, and consumer rights advocacy groups (i.e., the Green Institute, Nature Friends Greece and the Greek Dairy Association).
Trade data
Greece had a trade surplus in goods trade with Canada of €12 million in 2021 (Eurostat). Imports from Canada were €186 million, 0.6% of Greece’s imports from outside the EU. Exports were €197 million, 1.1% of Greece’s extra-EU exports (Eurostat). Canada-Greece bilateral goods trade (imports + exports) grew by €49 million, or 22.3%, between 2016 and 2019 (Statistics Canada).
Sources
KATHIMERINI (Η Καθημερινή). (October 2022). “Greece to ratify EU trade deal with Canada when issues are settled.” Link.
Allen, M. (March 2021). “Celebrating Canada-Greece relations” Ekathimerini News. Link.
Corporate Europe Observatory. (November 2016). European and Canadian civil society groups call for rejection of CETA. Link
Eschbach, A. The Ratification Process in EU Member States – A presentation with particular consideration of the TTIP and CETA free trade agreements. Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Link
European Public Service Union. (February 2017). “Greek Trade Union Federation GENOP calls on parliament to reject CETA”. Link.
Michalopoulos, S. (July 2017). “Greeks fear they will lose their ‘white gold’ with CETA.” Euractiv. Link.
Malkoutzis, N. (October 2016). “CETA, feta and trade deal difficulties”. Ekathimerini News. Link.
Moss, N. March 2021. “Greece felt ‘very happy’ to have Canada’s top diplomat in Athens last year amid pandemic, says new Greek envoy”. Hill Times. Link.
Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. (July 2020). “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Prime Minister’s Office. Link.
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