ITALIAN THINK TANK APPEALS TO CYPRIOT BUSINESSMEN TO HELP SAVE CETA DEAL

 Cyprus Mail 21 August 2020 - by Kyriacos Iacovides

The head of the Italian think tank Imprese del Sud, Sergio Passariello

An Italian think tank is appealing to Cypriot businessmen to help save the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), signed by the EU and Canada, the ratification of which was rejected last month by the House of Representatives.

The agreement, provisionally, entered into force in September 2017, but had to be ratified by all EU member states. All opposition parties in the Cyprus legislature voted against its ratification on July 31, citing the agreement’s failure to protect the halloumi trademark as one of the reasons. The communist party Akel said the agreement served the interests of multinationals and big capital.

In an open letter to Cypriot businessmen, the head of the Italian think tank Imprese del Sud, Sergio Passariello, called on Cypriot and business and political forces to “mobilise to save the trade agreement signed with Canada” as it “has already produced great results in terms of exports for European countries, strengthening the interests of producers.”

He wrote: “While respecting the choices made by the majority of your deputies, and keeping intact the esteem and friendship that binds us to your country, we feel we must invite all of you to reflect more deeply on the reasons that led to this outcome, and on its consequences for all businesses, both Cypriot and European.”

Passariello said that “fake news that unfortunately is also widespread in Italy” related to the “protection of agricultural products of our country.” He also referred to the implications of no agreement for halloumi.

“We remind you that without this agreement even the prestigious Cypriot cheese halloumi will not be protected: without the obligations imposed by Ceta, Canadians will be able to produce this cheese using the Cypriot symbols and flags in the packaging. And the same would happen for Italian and European products.”

So far, Ceta has been approved by 15 of the 27 member-states, but no country apart from Cyprus has voted against ratification yet. In Italy the agreement has not yet been discussed in parliament, but there is already heated debate about it with some claiming it does not protect the PDO of all Italian agricultural products.

“In a complicated period like this, during which companies are “hungry for a revival”, we cannot afford to blow up such a deep and detailed free trade agreement because of the ostracism spread by one side of the economy,” wrote Passariello.

Even if Ceta is not ratified, it would still remain in force in its current, provisional form, said the former European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, speaking at a committee meeting in the French National Assembly, two years ago.