European Parliament votes to refer EU-Mercosur trade deal to EU court for review

BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament on Wednesday voted to refer the EU-Mercosur trade agreement to the EU Court of Justice for a review, a move that could delay ratification and add uncertainty to the deal's implementation.

The vote was narrowly split, with 334 lawmakers backing the legal assessment, 324 voting against and 11 abstaining.

Parliament said the agreement would be referred to the court and that it would not be able to vote on granting its consent until the court issues an opinion.

The European Commission regretted the Parliament's decision, according to Commission spokesperson Olof Gill.

Gill said at a press briefing that the questions raised in the motion by the parliament "are not justified because the commission has already addressed those questions and issues in a very detailed way."

The European Union (EU) and Mercosur signed the free trade agreement on Jan 17 in Asuncion, capital of Paraguay.

The agreement aims to reduce tariffs and expand trade between the two blocs and now awaits approval by the European Parliament, as well as ratification by the legislatures of Mercosur member states Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.