The European Parliament puts more obstacles in the way of the Mercosur agreement and sends it to the European courts.

BrusselsMore obstacles in the European Union's trade agreement with MercosurThe European Parliament voted on Wednesday to denounce the agreement with the EU-Mercosur trade pact in Luxembourg, arguing that it does not comply with the European Union Treaties. Negotiations began 25 years ago. The European Parliament voted to denounce the pact before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in an attempt to postpone its entry into force. The vote was very close, with 334 votes in favor, just ten more than against. The result has once again highlighted the division that the trade agreement with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay generates among member states and parliamentary groups. The European Parliament denounced the EU-Mercosur pact in Luxembourg, considering that it does not conform to the Treaties of the European Union. With this move, the European Parliament postpones its own ratification vote on the agreement—originally scheduled for next spring—until there is a court ruling. It should be noted that the CJEU takes an average of two years to issue a decision, and therefore, the European Parliament would be delaying its final decision for at least another two years.

Now, even if the European Parliament blocks the final entry into force of the trade agreement, the European Commission can force it into operation temporarily without the Parliament's final approval. However, a court ruling against the agreement or a vote against it by the European Parliament would invalidate it.

The European Commission is fully convinced that the agreement respects EU treaties, but remains ambiguous about whether it intends to force its temporary entry into force without the European Parliament's final approval. Despite its urgency to get it operational as soon as possible, Brussels fears that this move will anger the European Parliament and ultimately give it more grounds to reject the agreement in the final vote, which was postponed indefinitely this Wednesday. In any case, the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Competition, Teresa Ribera, expressed regret over the outcome of the vote and indicated that the Commission will work to "find a way" to ensure that Monday's European Parliament vote does not further delay the entry into force of the controversial agreement.

Echoing the Spanish socialist, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said he "deeply regrets" the European Parliament's "unjustified" move and criticized the fact that this gesture comes at a "time" when "EU producers and exporters urgently need access to new markets." "The EU must deliver on its diversification agenda and demonstrate that it remains a reliable and predictable trading partner," the spokesperson added.

Division between France and Germany

Following the European Parliament's vote on Mercosur, the division within the Franco-German axis has resurfaced. On one side, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz posted a message on social media urging the European Commission to activate the trade agreement before its final ratification by the European Parliament. On the other side, France has advocated respecting the will of the European Parliament. "It's an important vote and it must be respected!" tweeted French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.