Many Canadian food products still hindered by European regulations, says CAFTA.Ottawa –While a pledge to improve trade between Canada and Europe sounds promising, a lot remains to be done to make it a reality, says Dan Darling, President of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA).Canada and the EU are championing free trade internationally as well as promising to fully implement their three-year-old free trade agreement, Darling said. However, the continued presence of European technical barriers to Canadian products “remains frustrating for Canada's export-oriented agri-food sector.“To date, Canada's exports to the EU are far below what was promised precisely because these barriers are impeding trade,” he said. “Recognizing that issues exist is the best way to start resolving these challenges. We must then turn words into action.“To that end, political leaders on both sides should issue very clear direction to officials and technical experts on both sides to resolve these issues without delay. The agri-food sector can boost Canada's economic recovery if trade agreements are implemented and enforced effectively.”Darling was commented on recent discussions among Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and EU leaders as well as International Trade Minister Mary Ng's meeting with Valdis Dombrovskis, the new EU Commissioner for Trade. CAFTA is pleased with the attention the trade barriers are receiving but wants to see action on them as well as strengthening international trade rules and reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO), he said.Ng said Dombrovskis said the EU is preparing to fulfill its commitments under the agreement so they become fully implemented. She “raised Canada's concerns on market access for agricultural products, and asked that the EU comply with the transparency requirements of CETA's temporary entry provisions,” a government statement said. They also discussed dates for the next Canada-EU meeting on the trade deal at which Canada's complaints about the agrifood import restrictions could be raised again.While not mentioning agrifood in particular, Trudeau did raise the overall issue of restrictions on Canadian exports to Europe that are contrary to what the trade deal is supposed to achieve.Darling said, “To date, Canada's exports to the EU are far below what was promised precisely because these barriers are impeding trade. “We will continue to work alongside the federal government in support of free and open trade and toward WTO modernization efforts that bring predictability, stability and enforcement back in the global trading system.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.