A small French-speaking region of Belgium dropped its opposition to the deal on Thursday after reaching an agreement with the Belgian government. The region of Wallonia's Socialist-led government had previously refused to allow Belgium to sign the deal, meaning the EU and Canada could not proceed. Wallonia, which is home to 3.5 million people, wanted more protection for the environment and workers, and questioned the power the deal would give to Canadian companies. EU officials said that while the text of the trade agreement has not changed, a declaration from Belgium has been added to it.

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