Canada-European Union Free Trade Agreement Conference - 18 November 2011

Canada-European Union Free Trade Agreement Conference

Macdonald House, Grosvenor Square, London, UK
18 November 2011

Since 2009, diplomats from Canada and the European Union have been in negotiations to produce a comprehensive trade agreement known as CETA. For people in the EU, the agreement would provide improved access to the Canadian market, a relatively small but prosperous country. For Canadians, CETA is perhaps even more important, for it provides alternatives to export dependency on the United States.

On 17 October, the ninth and final round of negotiations began. It is now a good time for academics to discuss the agreement and its implications for Canadians and Europeans. A small conference about CETA has been organized. It will take place at Macdonald House in London, UK on 18 November. [Nearest Tube Station: Bond Street]

Programme: Canada-EU Trade Agreement Conference

1pm Brian Parrot, Minister Counsellor (Commercial and Economic), Canadian High Commission. Welcome statement.

1:10pm Alan Hallsworth, Portsmouth Business School, and Tim Rooth, University of Portsmouth (40 minutes plus 10 minutes for discussion). "Historical Perspectives on CETA"

2:00pm Malcolm Fairbrother, Lecturer in Global Policy and Politics, University of Bristol. "Canadian Trade Policies from the FTA to the CETA: Myths and Facts" (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for Q&A)

2:30pm Andrew Smith, Coventry University. "Applying the Concepts of Cultural Distance and Imagined Communities to Understanding Canadian Economic Diplomacy" (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for Q&A)

3:00pm COFFEE BREAK

3:15pm Robert Hage, (retired Canadian diplomat), "Changing Canada: the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement." (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for Q&A)

3:45pm Roundtable Discussion

4:15pm Conference Ends

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP Andrew Smith before 15 November 2010.

This conference has been generously supported by Coventry University, the London Canadian Studies Association (LoCSA), and the Canadian High Commission.