A competition law agreement between the EU and Canada should not have taken 8 years to be finalised, MEP Alfred Sant told a European Parliament committee yesterday. 

The European Commission had been given the green light to start negotiating the matter back in October 2008 but was only now in its final stages. 

“Why has it taken so long to arrive at the present stage, when there were no contrary pressures to the conclusion of negotiations? Were there hidden difficulties and reservations involved?” asked Dr Sant.

Dr Sant also noted that the agreement should have been integrated into the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) signed last month. 

The agreement in question details cooperation between EU and Canadian competition authorities with regard to information about anti-competitive activities of interest to either party. It also adjusts data protection and defence right mechanism present in a previously-existing 1999 agreement. A similar agreement is already in place between the EU and Switzerland. 

Dr Sant serves as the shadow rapporteur on the file amending the original 1999 agreement with Canada to include a mechanism of exchange of information between the competition authorities of the EU and those of Canada.