New! The CETA Centre of Excellence

This new Canadian Trade Commissioner Service initiative will help Canadian companies navigate European Union (EU) regulations and the Canada‑EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
The Centre, which will be officially launched on December 8, 2021, will serve as a helpdesk providing practical information to companies on how to meet EU regulatory requirements and benefit from CETA. For any questions on product labeling or certification, value-added tax (VAT) or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies can contact the TCS at [email protected].

Karen Kennedy is the Senior Trade Commissioner responsible for the EU in Brussels. Kennedy is no stranger to CETA. She helped negotiate the Agreement as the lead intellectual property negotiator, and was the director of the CETA Secretariat at Global Affairs Canada. She then served as Senior Trade Commissioner in Madrid, where she helped promote CETA after it went into effect. She encourages Canadian companies to be on the lookout for opportunities in the Eureka network and the EU’s Digital Europe Programme, as well as its flagship European Green Deal. Kennedy notes that the EU “will need a wide range of innovative technology to meet its Green Deal goals,” and she urges Canadian companies to position themselves as “reliable, environment-friendly and safe suppliers and become a part of EU value chains.”

After four years in provisional application, CETA continues to serve Canadian companies in all sectors. And with utilization rates increasing at a steady pace, and Canadian exporters becoming more and more familiar with CETA, and knowing how to use it and take advantage of its benefits, it’s expected that trade between Canada and the EU will continue to grow.

Contact a Trade Commissioner, to learn more about how the TCS and CETA can help your business expand into the EU market.