Votes · 21 January 2026
Request for opinion from the Court of Justice on the compatibility with the Treaties of the proposed EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and Interim Trade Agreement (ITA)
This vote is about asking the Court of Justice whether the Mercosur agreement complies with the EU treaties.
Background
The Commission split the agreement between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) in two: a full partnership agreement and an “interim” trade agreement that can enter into force with the EU’s approval alone, without ratification by each national parliament. MEPs opposed to the deal proposed asking the EU Court of Justice whether this arrangement respects the Treaties.
- A request for an opinion from the Court in practice puts Parliament’s approval of the deal on hold until the Court answers, which can take more than a year.
- Supporters see it as a matter of respecting the Treaties and national parliaments; opponents see a manoeuvre to delay the deal.
Adopted: 334 for, 324 against, 11 abstentions, 50 did not vote.
Reference: B10-0060/2026