Mercosur, Costa: 'The Commission implements the agreement provisionally

BRUSSELS - The Council and the Commission have confirmed on the sidelines of a European summit here in Brussels that the agreement with Mercosur should be applied provisionally, despite the Parliament's decision to refer the agreement to the European Court of Justice for a legal opinion. The stance comes while some countries - notably France - are against the agreement.

The President of the European Council, António Costa, told a press conference on the night of Thursday 22 January: 'At the beginning of the month, by authorising the signing of the agreement, the Council decided on the provisional application of the treaty with Mercosur. I therefore call on the Commission to put this decision, i.e. the provisional application of the partnership agreement, into practice'.

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took the same tone. "This evening many leaders reiterated their interest in a provisional application of the agreement. We have not yet made a decision. On the other hand, we have to wait until at least one Mercosur country has completed its ratification process. In essence, we will be ready when they are ready'.

This week, the Parliament decided to refer the treaty back to the EU judiciary for an opinion. The decision not only postponed the parliamentary assembly's ratification vote, but also created uncertainty about the possible provisional application of the agreement, an uncertainty now denied by both the Council and the Commission. The treaty with Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) was signed on Saturday 17 January, after the agreement was approved by a majority of the Twenty-Seven - with five countries against, plus Belgium abstaining.