EU Parliament asks Court of Justice for legal opinion on EU‑Mercosur deal
Process in Brief
The full Parliament approved a resolution requesting a legal opinion from the Court of Justice of the EU on the agreement, with the vote recorded as 334 in favour, 324 against and 11 abstentions. A second resolution that also sought a legal assessment was rejected, with 225 votes in favour, 402 against and 13 abstentions.
What Is at Stake
The legal basis of the EU‑Mercosur Association Agreement (EMPA) and the provisional trade agreement (iTA) is the subject of the Court’s evaluation, and the question concerns whether those texts are compatible with EU treaties. The outcome of the legal opinion will inform the Parliament’s later decision on whether to approve the agreement.
Timeline
The Court of Justice will evaluate the agreement’s legal basis and the Parliament will continue examining the texts while awaiting the Court’s opinion, after which it must decide whether to give its approval.
Sources
Official Documents
- UE-Mercosur: el PE pide un dictamen jurídico sobre la compatibilidad con los tratados El Parlamento Europeo aprobó una resolución que solicita un dictamen jurídico del TJUE sobre la compatibilidad de los acuerdos UE-Mercosur con los tratados de la UE; se rechazó una segunda resolución.
Latest EU trade developments
-
EU Parliament adopts tariff changes for processed poultry meat
The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading on 21 November 2012 to implement exchange-of-letters agreements with Brazil and Thailand modifying tariff concessions on processed poultry meat and to amend the EU tariff nomenclature.
Read more -
Corrigendum to EP position on firearms import, export and transit measures
The European Parliament issued a corrigendum on 30 October 2024 to its first-reading position of 23 April 2024 on a recast Regulation implementing Article 10 of the UN Firearms Protocol, covering import, export and transit measures for firearms, their essential components and ammunition.
Read more -
EU and Australia agree FTA and Security and Defence Partnership
The EU and Australia adopted a Security and Defence Partnership, concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement, and agreed to launch formal negotiations for Australia’s association to Horizon Europe.
Read more
Similar policy actions
-
MEPs back lowering most tariffs on US industrial and agricultural goods
MEPs in the International Trade Committee adopted their position on two legislative proposals to eliminate most tariffs on US industrial and agricultural goods, by 29 votes in favour, 9 against and 1 abstention.
Read more -
MEPs call for new EU measures to strengthen livestock farming
The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee adopted a non-binding set of proposals by 40 votes to 8 to boost productivity, sustainability and competitiveness in the EU livestock sector and now seeks a full parliamentary vote.
Read more -
This week in the International Trade Committee
The International Trade Committee meets on 18–19 March 2026 for presentations, exchanges of views and votes on Swiss relations, critical raw materials, China-related overcapacity and US tariff measures.
Read more