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Comparative Intergovernmental Politics: CETA Negotiations between Canada and the EU. CETA Conference: Session 1, May 5, 2014 Dr. Valerie D’Erman University of Victoria (Victoria, BC, Canada). Introduction and background. Canada and EU prevalent examples of federal-like governance
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Comparative Intergovernmental Politics: CETA Negotiations between Canada and the EU CETA Conference: Session 1, May 5, 2014 Dr. Valerie D’Erman University of Victoria (Victoria, BC, Canada)
Introduction and background • Canada and EU prevalent examples of federal-like governance • Early attempts at CETA stalled due to WTO talks and lack of provincial involvement • Significant of this FTA agreement: • Leverage helped EU assert norms of procedure • Precedent for provincial “pre-commitment” • International recognition of EU principle of ‘subsidiarity’
Negotiations • New precedent in Canada for involvement of sub-national governments • One-sided debate over liberalization of services and public procurement • Sectoral protest within Canadian provinces • Criticism over lack of transparency
Significance • Success of EU in getting demands met and in exporting norms of procedure • Possible precedent for EU-U.S. negotiations (TTIP)? • Theoretical understandings of federalism • Contrast between Canada and EU as federal-like polities • Lack of nation-state or elected executive in EU • Internal market coherence much stronger in EU, and resulting ability to negotiate
Conclusions • PARADOX • EU Single Market and federalism • Visible and central goal of European integration • Prior deregulation among member states already achieved through intergovernmental negotiation • Treaty-based governance over constitutionalism • Activist role of the ECJ • EU intergovernmental-supranational relations as a successful model of federal governance rather than a federation with qualifiers