{ "title": "Wallonia and French Community launch ministerial mission to Canada", "modified_at": "2026-04-20 10:01:31", "published_at": "2026-04-20 09:30:00", "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/wallonia-and-french-community-launch-ministerial-mission-to-canada", "short_url": "http://prez.ly/gGCd", "culture": "en_BE", "language": "EN", "slug": "wallonia-and-french-community-launch-ministerial-mission-to-canada", "body": "

A large delegation from Wallonia and the French Community arrived in Montreal, in the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, on Sunday for a week-long ministerial mission. The mission comes as Wallonia moves forward in its long-awaited ratification process of the CETA trade agreement.

The mission is structured around academic, cultural and technological partnerships and innovation. The delegation numbers more than 140 people, including nearly 100 representatives from French-speaking colleges and universities.

In the technological field, the focus will include Wallonia's expertise in sustainable agri-food, green biotechnologies and the conversion of biomass into energy. The aerospace sector will also feature prominently, with visits to Polytechnique Montreal, Bombardier and Sonaca Montreal.

"This mission demonstrates our clear desire to open new doors, strengthen our existing partnerships and conclude promising agreements, particularly in the cultural and academic spheres," said French Community minister president Elisabeth Degryse. Wallonia minister president Adrien Dolimont described the visit as "a real opportunity" in the fields of research, innovation, technology, aerospace and the economy.

CETA ratification

The mission comes as the Walloon government inches closer to the ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). On Thursday, it approved the preliminary draft decree for the ratification of the trade agreement between the European Union and Canada at its second reading.

The move is a striking contrast with events a decade ago, when Wallonia made international headlines by blocking the signing of the agreement, leaving Belgium unable to sign the deal. Canadian Trade minister Chrystia Freeland even travelled to Namur in person to try to persuade then minister president Paul Magnette, without success.

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Belgium managed to reach an internal agreement a week later, making it the last EU member state to sign. The agreement provisionally entered into force in 2017. Since then, according to the Walloon government, Canadian agri-food imports have remained marginal, while trade relations with Canada have developed favourably.

The Walloon government also argues that current international trade tensions, uncertainty surrounding supply chains and the resurgence of protectionist policies make "a stable trade framework with a reliable partner such as Canada all the more important".

Belgium is not the only EU member state that has yet to ratify the CETA agreement. Only 17 of the bloc’s 27 countries have done so, with holdouts including France, Poland and Italy.

 

French Community minister president Elisabeth Degryse and Walloon minister president Adrien Dolimont in 2024 © BELGA PHOTO BRUNO FAHY

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