Denmark signs EU free trade deal with Canada

Danish exports could increase by 2.2 billion kroner annually

A considerable majority in Parliament has approved the ratification of the EU’s free trade agreement with Canada (CETA). As a result, Denmark is among the first EU nations to sign on.

The Foreign Ministry estimates the agreement could result in an increase in Danish exports to Canada worth 2.2 billion kroner annually.

“I’m pleased the government, with a broad backing of Parliament, can send a signal to the rest of the world that free trade is alive and well,” said the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen.

“The Danes have benefited greatly from free trade with the rest of the world for several decades – and it’s great the EU will now expand its network of free trade agreements with yet another important market.”

READ MORE: Denmark hits up Canada ahead of Arctic conference

Custom fees slashed
Samuelsen said the free trade deal with Canada is EU’s most ambitious free trade agreement to date, and a golden standard for future trade policy.

Currently, Danish companies have to fork out over 3.7 billion kroner in customs to the Canadian authorities, but the CETA agreement will cut 98 percent of that and thus improve their ability to compete on the Canadian market.

Moreover, the agreement also means that Danish companies will be able to bid on public works and access will be improved for services in a number of sectors, including maritime. Danish companies and funds will also enjoy better conditions in terms of investment in Canada.





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.