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		</div><p>The European Union (EU) and Canada have tried to remain upbeat about the prospects for their trans-Atlantic free trade pact despite a small Belgian region persisting in its refusal to back the deal.</p>
<p>After the setback early today, EU President Donald Tusk and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke by telephone, with Mr Tusk saying afterwards &#8220;there&#8217;s yet time&#8221; to find a compromise solution.</p>
<p>A joint summit for signing the long-delayed trade deal is scheduled for Thursday, offering the two leaders and Belgian officials little time to persuade the Wallonia region to drop its opposition.</p>
<p>Without all Belgian regions supporting the agreement, Belgium cannot sign and the EU needs unanimity from all of its 28 member states.</p>
<p>&#8220;We think Thursday&#8217;s summit still possible,&#8221; Mr Tusk said in a Twitter message.<br />
&#8220;We encourage all parties to find a solution.&#8221;</p>
<p>The EU&#8217;s inability to sign would be a major embarrassment and undermine the belief that the world&#8217;s biggest trading bloc is a trustworthy partner as it seeks similar deals with nations like the US and Japan.</p>
<p>Prospects for a signing ceremony on Thursday looked as good as dead on Monday afternoon when Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel admitted he could not get unanimity in the country&#8217;s regions and legislatures.</p>
<p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/antiCETAprotesters_large.jpg"><img src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/antiCETAprotesters_large.jpg" alt="anticetaprotesters_large" width="600" height="325" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-98669" /></a></p>
<p>&#8220;We have been asked to give a clear answer today,&#8221; on whether Belgium could sign up as the last of 28 member states,&#8221; Mr Michel said after meeting with Wallonia leader Paul Magnette.</p>
<p>&#8220;The clear answer, at this stage, is no.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even though Mr Michel is eager to sign the deal, Belgium&#8217;s constitutional set-up means every single region in the country needs to back it, not only the national government.</p>
<p>As a result, opposition from a region of 3.5 million could now stop a deal between more than 500 million EU citizens and 35 million Canadians.</p>
<p>The EU&#8217;s executive Commission called for patience in an attempt to save the free trade deal and had already dismissed a Monday-night deadline as counter-productive.</p>
<p>Mr Magnette insisted he would agree to nothing under the threat of an ultimatum but remained open to further talks.</p>
<p>The EU Commission, which has negotiated the deal on behalf of the 28 nations, insisted this week&#8217;s summit was not the final deadline.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, we need patience,&#8221; EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.</p>
<p>&#8220;The commission traditionally does not set deadlines or ultimatums.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even if Thursday&#8217;s summit has to be called off, it could always be rescheduled when Wallonia has signed on to the agreement, Mr Schinas indicated.</p>
<p>Politicians in Wallonia argue the proposed Ceta accord (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) would undermine labour, the environment and consumer standards.</p>
<p>Proponents say it would yield billions in added trade through tariff cuts and other measures to lower barriers to commerce.</p>
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