COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION of the impact of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States and Canada
Date: 2025-11-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission
Subjects: Canada, application of EU law, economic agreement, economic cooperation, trade agreement, trade agreement (EU), trade cooperation

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 10.11.2025  SWD(2025) 364 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  of the impact of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States and Canada {SWD(2025) 363 final}  
 
 
The  Comprehensive  Economic  and  Trade Agreement  between  the  European  Union  and  its 
Member States and Canada (“CETA”) is provisionally (and partially) applied since 2017.  

In 2023, as foreseen in DG TRADE´s multi-annual evaluation plan, the European Commission 
services launched the ex-post evaluation of CETA. To support that evaluation, the Commission 
service’s mandated an external consultant to undertake an ex-post evaluation study of CETA. 
The study covered the economic, social, environmental,  and human rights  (including labour 
rights)  dimensions  of  the  agreement.  The  period  reviewed  by  the  study  examined  the 
implementation period of the Agreement from its beginning in 2017 up to 2023. The results of 
the  study  were  published  in  June  2025.  Taking  into  account  this  study,  the  staff  working 
document presents the Commission services’ ex-post evaluation of the impact of CETA.  

The  Commission  services  consider  that  the Agreement  has  worked  well  and  has  overall 
achieved  its  objectives.  CETA  has  proven  to  be  a  comprehensive,  ambitious  and  balanced 
agreement,  significantly  enhancing  market  access  and  trade  between  the  EU  and  Canada, 
benefiting all Member States and notably small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

CETA has enhanced EU and Canadian supply chain resilience and security by increasing the 
number  of  products  traded  bilaterally,  reducing  supplier  and  product  import  concentrations, 
expanding  their  mutual  importance  in  terms  of  trade  in  goods,  services,  and  investments, 
increasing SME engagement, and fostering regulatory cooperation.  

The implementation of CETA has been efficient overall. Over 98% of tariff lines are now duty 
free,  which  provides  businesses  on  both  sides  with  competitive  advantages  and  allows 
consumers more choices at lower prices. Regulatory cooperation has achieved several concrete 
outcomes thanks to the well-structured institutional framework and significant efforts from both 
the EU and Canadian sides, with strong involvement of regulators. 

The impact of CETA is overall positive. CETA has positively impacted GDP, benefiting sectors 
with comparative advantages through tariff reductions and improved supply chain resilience. 
Notable progress has been made in areas such as critical raw materials and SMEs' participation 
in  bilateral  trade.  The  EU  and  Canada  have  also  jointly  monitored  the  implementation  and 
enforcement of CETA’s TSD provisions; neither they nor the CETA Domestic Advisory Groups 
identified any implementation shortcomings. 

CETA has been and continues to be relevant in providing a foundation for fostering bilateral 
trade, achieving strategic policy objectives, and promoting trade and sustainable development. 
It supports EU objectives such as the European Green Deal and reflects Canada's environmental 
commitments. The Agreement continues to be relevant and remains vital for fostering bilateral 
trade and achieving  strategic policy objectives, providing stable and clear rules in  a volatile 
geoeconomic environment. 

The Commission service also identified a number of lessons learned to further improve the 
implementation of the Agreement, such as enhanced communication to stakeholders, the need 
for  better  statistical  data  gathering  to  support  policy  making,  or  the  desire  expressed  by 
stakeholders to complement CETA with a modern agreement on digital trade.  

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