German parliament votes to approve EU-Canada trade pact

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved a free-trade deal between the European Union and Canada, moving the accord a step closer to taking effect fully. The pact formally known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, was signed in late 2016. Most of it has been provisionally in force since 2017, but it must be ratified by all parliaments in the 27-nation EU before fully entering into effect. Chancellor OIaf Scholz’s three-party coalition moved forward with ratifying it after Germany’s highest court in March rejected complaints against CETA, at least in the form in which it is currently in force.