French President Macron regrets the Senate’s vote to reject the EU-Canada trade deal WSOC TV [Video]

BRUSSELS — (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he “regrets” the Senate’s vote to reject legislation to ratify a trade deal between the European Union and Canada that has been criticized by farmers as bringing unfair competition from abroad.

The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, provisionally went into effect in September 2017 after all EU governments agreed to it, but its full implementation requires approval by each national parliament.

Thursday’s vote in the French Senate does not necessarily mean that the country ultimately will reject ratification.

The text is to be sent back to France’s lower house of parliament for further discussion, Macron said in a news conference at an EU summit in Brussels. He did not say whether he would like the vote at the National Assembly to be held before or after June’s European elections.

“It’s a very good agreement” that benefits to the French farming industry, Macron argued.

“Is it good or bad for our agriculture? The …