Wednesday’s vote in the European Parliament to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice adds a further layer of complication to the controversial trade deal and its ratification through the houses of power in Europe.
The point of argument was brought to the parliament by a group of 100 MEPs on the legal basis of the EU-Mercosur partnership agreement (EMPA) and the interim trade agreement (ITA).
The Parliament will continue its examination of the texts, while awaiting the opinion of the EU Court. Only then will it be able to vote to grant consent (or not) to the agreement.
The vote was won by a slim majority of 334 votes in favour and 324 against, referring the deal to the ECJ. Analysts were putting the in-favour votes in the main vote at around 320, the opposed at 300 with the undecided, unknowns and abstentions at 100.
At the moment, 11 of the 14 Irish MEPs have indicated that they will vote no. Ursula von der Leyen’s trip to Paraguay last weekend for a ceremonial signing of the deal did attract a lot of criticism in Brussels, with several MEPs saying it was inappropriate to make the trip ahead of the parliament ratification of the deal.
Further afield there are also rumblings of unrest around the new safeguards in the deal, with Argentinian president Javier Milei warning Europe not to meddle with the safeguards or quotas in relation to the deal.
The latest vote will likely add to the Mercosur bloc frustration. The referral to the ECJ will be heralded as a win for farm organisations across Europe including the Irish Farmers Association, who have been on a 20-year campaign against the Mercusor trade deal.
The delay will likely draw criticism of the farming lobby from those in favour of the deal, but any industry or sector that is singled out for sacrifice is entitled to fight for itself. In the end, it’s a democratic vote that will see the deal get a yes or no and that will have to be respected.
Wednesday’s vote in the European Parliament to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice adds a further layer of complication to the controversial trade deal and its ratification through the houses of power in Europe.
The point of argument was brought to the parliament by a group of 100 MEPs on the legal basis of the EU-Mercosur partnership agreement (EMPA) and the interim trade agreement (ITA).
The Parliament will continue its examination of the texts, while awaiting the opinion of the EU Court. Only then will it be able to vote to grant consent (or not) to the agreement.
The vote was won by a slim majority of 334 votes in favour and 324 against, referring the deal to the ECJ. Analysts were putting the in-favour votes in the main vote at around 320, the opposed at 300 with the undecided, unknowns and abstentions at 100.
At the moment, 11 of the 14 Irish MEPs have indicated that they will vote no. Ursula von der Leyen’s trip to Paraguay last weekend for a ceremonial signing of the deal did attract a lot of criticism in Brussels, with several MEPs saying it was inappropriate to make the trip ahead of the parliament ratification of the deal.
Further afield there are also rumblings of unrest around the new safeguards in the deal, with Argentinian president Javier Milei warning Europe not to meddle with the safeguards or quotas in relation to the deal.
The latest vote will likely add to the Mercosur bloc frustration. The referral to the ECJ will be heralded as a win for farm organisations across Europe including the Irish Farmers Association, who have been on a 20-year campaign against the Mercusor trade deal.
The delay will likely draw criticism of the farming lobby from those in favour of the deal, but any industry or sector that is singled out for sacrifice is entitled to fight for itself. In the end, it’s a democratic vote that will see the deal get a yes or no and that will have to be respected.
SHARING OPTIONS