‘Takes two to tango’: EU envoy prods Canada to finalize free trade deal

OTTAWA – The European Union is once again ratcheting up the pressure on Canada to conclude long-running free trade talks.

Matthias Brinkmann, the European Union ambassador to Canada, says it “takes two to tango,” and that the EU was ready to finalize the deal in February when trade and agriculture ministers met in Ottawa.

Brinkmann confirms that a major sticking point remains Canada’s demands for Europe to open its market to beef exports.

Brinkmann says Canada is now in a race with United States to finalize the deal.

With the EU and U.S. set to embark on their own free trade talks, many analysts are predicting that Canada will be shuffled to the back burner.

Last month, EU trade spokesman John Clancy publicly criticized Canada for holding up the deal.