EU lawmakers vote to hold up Mercosur trade agreement over legal
concerns
[January 22, 2026] By
LORNE COOK
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers on Wednesday voted to hold up
ratification of a major free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of
South American countries over concerns about the legality of the deal.
In a vote in Strasbourg, France, lawmakers narrowly approved sending the
EU-Mercosur agreement to Europe’s top court to rule on whether it is in
line with the bloc’s treaties. The result was 334 votes in favor to 324
against, with 11 abstentions.
The assembly cannot vote to approve the pact until the European Court of
Justice has ruled, and this could take months.
The long sought-after free trade agreement was signed into effect on
Saturday. Twenty-five years in the making, it aimed to strengthen
commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions
around the world.
The deal was seen as a central priority of European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen, who shepherded it through a key vote on Jan. 9
among the EU’s 27 leaders. “The more trading partners we have
world-wide, the more independent we are,” von der Leyen said at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, pointing to Mercosur and another trade
deal in the works with India.
Supported by South America’s cattle-raising countries and European
industrial interests, the accord is aimed at gradually eliminating more
than 90% of tariffs on goods ranging from Argentine beef to German cars,
creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones and making shopping
cheaper for more than 700 million consumers.
France, Europe's major agricultural producer, wanted stronger
protections for farmers and has sought to delay the pact. Foreign
Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the parliament’s vote, saying in a
social media post that the assembly “expressed itself in line with the
position that we have defended. France takes responsibility for saying
no when it has to, and history often proves it right. The fight
continues.”
The European Commission said that it “strongly regrets” the parliament’s
decision.
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A protestor wears a shirt which reads "Mercosur-danger on our dinner
plate" as he participates in a demonstration against the EU-Mercusor
trade agreement, outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg,
eastern France, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Pascal Bastien)
 However, the EU’s powerful executive
branch can provisionally apply the deal until then. EU leaders are
expected to discuss the way ahead at an emergency summit focused on
transatlantic relations on Thursday.
In a post on social media, German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz described the EU parliament’s decision as
“regrettable.”
“It misjudges the geopolitical situation. We are convinced of the
legality of the agreement. No further delays. The agreement must now
be applied provisionally,” Merz wrote.
Bernd Lange, head of the parliament's committee on trade, said the
vote was “absolutely irresponsible” and “very harmful for our
economic interests.”
Opponents should simply vote against ratification "instead of using
delaying tactics under the guise of legal review,” he wrote on X.
Ratification is considered all but guaranteed in South America,
where the agreement has broad support.
Mercosur consists of the region’s two biggest economies, Argentina
and Brazil, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. Bolivia, the bloc’s
newest member, is not included the trade deal, but could join in the
coming years. Venezuela has been suspended from the bloc and is not
included in the agreement.
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AP writers Sam McNeil in Brussels and David McHugh in Frankfurt,
Germany contributed.
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