Passes EP blitz against Mercosur, agreement goes to EU Court

BRUSSELS - The European Parliament decided today, Wednesday 21 January, to ask the European Court of Justice for a legal opinion on the partnership agreement signed last Saturday with Mercosur, the South American organisation. The decision came with 334 votes in favour, 324 against and 11 abstentions. 669 out of 720 deputies took part in the vote. The motion had been signed by some 150 MPs from the Left, the Greens and the Liberals.

The referral before the Community judiciary does not prevent the provisional application of the cartel, as it was decided earlier this month by the Council. However, this is not the first time this has happened. In the past, the Belgian government asked the Court for an opinion on the economic treaty with Canada, known by its English acronym CETA.

It should be borne in mind that provisional application will only be triggered when one of the four Mercosur countries has completed its ratification process. The partnership agreement with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay should serve to revive European economic relations and influence on the continent at a time of growing international tensions. While industry hailed the opportunities created by the agreement, the agricultural world voiced its concerns.

Apart from possible legal doubts on the part of some parliamentarians, the request for a legal opinion conceals an attempt to politically weaken the agreement, signed after more than 25 years of heated negotiation. On the same topic and with the same objective, a second motion was voted in Strasbourg, this time signed by the right-wing parties. It gathered 225 yes, 402 no and 13 abstentions. In this case 640 MEPs took part in the vote.

Manon Aubry, group leader of The Left, spoke of a "great victory" of her political group. Green MEP Saskia Bricmont commented: "By referring the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Parliament reaffirms its commitment to the rule of law. More generally, the Parliament's decision to request an opinion from the EU judiciary postpones the vote on ratification of the agreement that was initially scheduled for February to April.