(Strasbourg) “Today’s vote by the European Parliament is an important milestone in the democratic process of ratification of the agreement reached with Canada and it also allows for its provisional entry into force. EU companies and citizens will start to reap the benefits that the agreement offers as soon as possible”. The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker is among the first to comment on the approval of the CETA Agreement by the European Parliament. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström added: “This vote is the start of a new era in EU-Canada relations. Together we are sending a strong signal” that “by building bridges rather than walls, we can face the challenges” that confront our economy and “our societies”. “Canada is a close ally of Europe. We share values and ideals, and a commitment to open markets and fair social policies”. It is now up to individual EU member states to ratify the agreement that will “provisionally” come into force next April. The CETA was adopted with votes from the EPP, the Liberals and the Conservatives, and from individual MEPs from other political groups in Strasbourg. They all, however, give the agreement different meanings, as it emerged clearly from the debate and the vote on the attached reports (with the political interpretations of the text), none of which was approved.