EU lawmakers refer EU-Mercosur trade agreement to top EU court

Farmers from across Europe protest as the European Parliament votes on Wednesday on whether to refer the EU-Mercosur trade agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in Strasbourg, France, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS, ‌Jan 21 (Reuters) - The ‌European Parliament voted ‌on Wednesday to refer the European Union's ‍contentious free trade ‍agreement ‌with South America to ‍the bloc's ​top court, ⁠a move that could delay ‌the deal by two ⁠years ‍and potentially derail it.

The European ‍Unionsigned its largest-ever ‌trade pact with Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday. The agreement ‌still requires approval before it can take ​effect.