Mercosur deal faces fresh hurdle as EU Parliament backs court challenge

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

58% : "In the current geopolitical context, it is crucial that we value and uphold the democratic decision-making ability and procedures of our EU institutions - not seek to undermine and weaken them for short-term political gain," he said.
56% : The European Union signed its largest-ever trade pact with Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday.
55% : If referred to the court, the EU could still apply the pact provisionally pending the ruling and parliamentary approval.
52% : A group of 144 lawmakers put forward a parliamentary motion to ask the EU Court of Justice to rule on whether the agreement can be applied before full ratification by all member states and whether its provisions restrict the EU's ability to set environmental and consumer health policies.
49% : "Today, I voted in favour of referring the EU-Mercosur Agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a legal assessment.
48% : Kelly also stressed that the vote was not a vote on the Mercosur agreement itself, noting that the provisional application of trade agreements had precedent, including in the EU-Chile deal endorsed by the Parliament less than two years ago.
43% : " Kelly warned that referring trade agreements to the ECJ could weaken the EU's democratic decision-making structures.
42% : Opponents, led by France - the EU's largest agricultural producer - say the deal will sharply increase imports of cheap beef, sugar and poultry, undercutting domestic farmers who have staged repeated protests.
40% : They also warn that Mercosur governments are losing patience with the EU after years of negotiations.
40% : "The issues of sub-optimal beef entering the European Union; supporting possible deforestation of the Amazon; and the potential removal from the land of indigenous communities mean that the deal is not acceptable," he said.
35% : EU lawmakers voted on Wednesday to challenge the European Union's contentious free trade agreement with South America in the bloc's top court, a move that could delay the deal by two years and potentially derail it.

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