European Parliament votes to delay Mercosur deal in court

"Lawmakers in the European Parliament in Strasbourg backed the motion with 334 votes in favor, 324 against, and 11 abstentions. That means the EU's Court of Justice (CJEU) will be charged with checking whether the agreement can legally be applied before full ratification from all member states, and whether its provisions would restrict the EU's ability to set environmental and consumer health policy. The CJEU typically takes in the region of two years to reach decisions on such queries."

"The European Parliament voted on Wednesday for a legal check of the EU's trade deal with four members of the Latin American Mercosur bloc, a move that could severely delay or even derail the deal. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took to social media soon after news of the vote, calling the result "regrettable" and saying it "misjudges the geopolitical situation." The EU signed the deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday, after a quarter of a century of negotiations."

European Parliament voted to refer the EU-Mercosur trade deal for a legal review, backing the motion 334-324 with 11 abstentions. The Court of Justice of the EU will assess whether the agreement can be legally applied before full ratification and whether its provisions would limit the EU's ability to set environmental and consumer health policy. The CJEU typically takes around two years to reach such decisions. The Mercosur deal was signed with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay after 25 years of negotiations but still requires formal approval and ratification by member states. Farmers across Europe have protested, fearing cheap imports will undercut domestic producers.

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