EU Commission to opt for simple approval for Canada deal - EU official

BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - The European Commission will
propose next week a simple approval procedure for a planned
EU-Canada trade deal in a bid to speed up the adoption of an
agreement seen as a controversial in many EU capitals.
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told EU leaders
meeting on Tuesday that the Commission would make its proposal
on July 5 that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
(CETA) would be an "EU-only" agreement, an EU official said.
This would mean it would be adopted if backed by
representatives of member states and by the European Parliament.
The deal would not apply to Britain, which has voted to
leave the EU, once it has formalised its exit.
Trade Commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom has said she hoped CETA
is adopted before the end of October when it could be signed
during a planned visit to Brussels by Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau.
Most European Union members have said they viewed the deal
as a "mixed" agreement, meaning each country would have to push
the deal through their parliaments, a move that would likely
delay approval.
Belgium's regional parliament of Wallonia, one of four such
assemblies that would scrutinise the deal, has said it would
oppose it.
Bulgaria and Romania have also expressed reluctance given
Canada does not extend its visa-waiver entry system to their
citizens.
The Commission, which negotiates trade agreements on behalf
of the 28 EU members, and Canada say CETA could increase trade
between the two by some 20 percent.
However, the deal is facing opposition from campaign groups
and trade unions, who say CETA is as dangerous as their bete
noire, a planned EU-U.S. trade deal called the Transatlantic
Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). They say the deals hand
power to multinationals and are a threat to democracy.
Groups in Austria and Germany, which proponents say would
benefit most from a trade deal, have staged a series of
anti-TTIP and CETA rallies, with a large demonstration planned
in Berlin on Sunday.
Juncker also urged EU leaders at the summit to back free
trade talks with the United States in the face of growing
scepticism in member states.