Belgian opponent of Canada free trade deal leaves national politics

The Belgian Socialist leader who last year became a figurehead for opposition within Europe to an EU-Canada trade pact is stepping back from national politics.

As premier of the Walloon region, Paul Magnette refused to allow Belgium's federal government to back the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), threatening to kill the deal.

He yielded after weeks of negotiations, having received assurances on investor protection issues and that Canadian imports would not disrupt the Walloon farming industry.

Magnette told a news conference on Monday he would leave the Walloon assembly and focus on his role as mayor of the city of Charleroi.

He had said the Walloon region was not certain to ratify CETA in coming years, but his government coalition collapsed in June when junior partners pulled out after a series of scandals hit the Socialist Party.

CETA, set to enter force provisionally in September, still requires unanimous backing from all 28 EU member countries, along with Belgium's regions, to be applied in full.

Wallonia's Christian Democrats and Liberals are currently in coalition talks likely to result in a government less opposed to international trade deals.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)