The recalcitrance of the Walloon government, which has put the agreement in grave danger, is only indirectly related to democracy and the grand goals of CETA opponents. The Walloons are playing a political game, the paper says.

While Walloon is now seen as the culprit, Delo also points the finger at the EU, accusing it of "painful amateurism". "One only wonders what trade negotiations with China, the US and Great Britain will be like," it says in the commentary Disaster.

The EU is being eroded by crises, but it is still a trading superpower that can set the rules of the global game. It was a big mistake for the Commission no to have more seriously addressed the doubts of the opponents. This is what made it possible for CETA to become a victim of political games.