ABSTRACT
This chapter examines that the EU is pursuing the proposed agreement because, in practical and symbolic terms, it 'fits' within the EU's overall emerging trade strategy. It provides a brief synopsis of the broader history leading to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations. It outlines the main goals put forward in the 2010 EU trade policy and compares it to its 2006 predecessor. It addresses the symbolic importance of the CETA as part of EU initiatives to maintain transatlantic ties more generally, but also in the sense that such an ambitious agreement is unprecedented in EU trade history. While the declared intentions fit the overall description of the CETA, show it was not until the 2002 EU-Canada Summit that a potential bilateral trade and investment agreement was publicly mentioned. Its content has to be assessed in connection to the leaked draft text version of the Canada-EU CETA and the overall EU trade strategy.
