Thank you for contacting me about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada.
I appreciate your concerns on this issue. CETA is a "mixed" agreement, covering areas of both EU and Member State competence. You may be interested to know that provisional agreement of CETA has only cleared the way for those areas of the agreement that fall solely within EU competence to be implemented, subject to the European Parliament's approval. It does not apply to areas of the agreement that are within member states' competence.
Those areas that are within Member State competence will not be applied until the UK and all other national parliaments have ratified the agreement. Parliament therefore retains its right to debate and scrutinise prior to full ratification.
Following the UK's vote to leave the European Union, the UK will need to begin the process of leaving the EU. The Department for International Trade is examining options to secure continued UK access to the trade preferences negotiated by the European Union to cover the period between leaving the EU and the coming into force of bespoke UK negotiated agreements.
The Government is determined that the UK will become a world leader in free trade, and ensure that we secure the right deals for the United Kingdom. These bespoke deals will be scrutinised by our Parliament as are all treaties.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.