BRUSSELS, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament on Wednesday voted to refer the EU-Mercosur trade agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for legal review, a move that could delay ratification and add uncertainty to the deal's implementation.
The vote was narrowly split, with 334 lawmakers in favor of seeking a 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.
According to Euronews, the review process could take between 18 and 24 months based on previous cases. While the European Commission may proceed with provisional application of the agreement during the review, doing so could strain relations between EU institutions.
Following the vote, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said the Commission regretted Parliament's decision. Speaking at a press briefing, Gill said the questions raised by lawmakers "are not justified, because the Commission has already addressed those questions and issues in a very detailed way."
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, said on social media platform X that the outcome of the vote was "absolutely irresponsible," adding that it was highly damaging to the bloc's economic interests and international standing. "Team Europe is putting itself offside," he wrote.
Divisions remain deep within the bloc. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on X that the European Parliament's decision was regrettable. "The decision misjudges the geopolitical situation. We are convinced of the agreement's legality. No more delays. The agreement must now be applied provisionally," he said.
Christophe Darley, head of the Department of Financial Markets at the Economic Council, a leading German business association, said the vote put growth and jobs in the European Union at risk instead of strengthening the bloc's competitiveness and economic power.
In France, the EU's largest agricultural producer, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a social media post that the decision was important and must be respected.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added: "France takes responsibility for saying no when it is necessary, and history often proves it right. The fight continues to protect our agriculture and ensure our food sovereignty."
Hungary also defended the vote and called for stronger opposition to the agreement. Hungarian Minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy said the country would not support the EU-Mercosur agreement as long as the current government remains in office.
The European Union and Mercosur signed the free trade agreement on Jan. 17 in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. The European Commission said the deal would create a free trade area covering more than 700 million people and eliminate more than 4 billion euros (4.65 billion U.S. dollars) annually in tariffs on EU exports.
The agreement now awaits approval by the European Parliament, with no fixed date set, as well as ratification by the legislatures of Mercosur member states Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
