After weeks of uncertainty, the European Union and Canada have signed a free-trade agreement.
Canada’s Prime Minster Justin Trudeau arrived in Brussels ahead of the Summit to sign the Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
This comes after Belgium authorities broke a weeks-long deadlock.
CCTV’s Mariam Zaidi is Brussels with more.
The agreement has suffered from delays and near derailment.
Even on the morning when Canada and the European Union were due to formally sign CETA, another minor setback arised: the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was running late.
As EU leaders await the Canadian Prime Minister, protesters have gathered ahead of the summit. They say they don’t want CETA.
Despite what was happening outside, inside as leaders arrived, the mood was buoyant. CETA was finally roaring to the finish line.
CETA’s provisional implementation is expected to begin early next year, while its full force awaits final clearance by national and regional parliaments across Europe.