Mercosur to go before the European Court of Justice

The motion was passed today to put the Mercosur trade deal before the European Court of Justice, delaying the trade deal possibly by two years.

The referral of the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice could delay it by two years. File photo

Following a vote today in the European Parliament, the motion was carried to put the Mercosur trade deal before the European Court of Justice.

Of the assembled MEPs, 334 voted in favour of the motion, with 324 opposing the motion. The Mercosur trade deal will now be referred to the European Court of Justice for review. This referral could delay the deal by two years.

Even with the referral and pending approval, the EU could still apply the agreement; however, the European Parliament will still have the power to annul it.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president and the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations (COPA) vice president, Francie Gorman, said today’s outcome in the European Parliament lays down an important marker for how trade issues are negotiated.

“When we met our fellow EU farm leaders in Brussels last week, I knew that the vote would be close. This is a great result for the European umbrella farm group COPA COGECA,” he said.

“The ECJ will now test the deal and see if it stands up to scrutiny. For this, and for future trade deals, it is important that the legality is established before any further steps. The EU Commission has been too hasty in trying to push this through,” he said.

Mr Gorman said this is just the latest step in what has been a decades-long campaign. “IFA will continue to work with our colleagues across Europe to have this deal set aside.” 

Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara said the vote was a major victory for farmers.

“This is not a vote on the Mercosur trade deal itself, but it is a decisive move that could delay ratification by up to two years and could even stop this deal entirely. Anyone claiming Mercosur was inevitable has been proven wrong.

"Farmers were told time and again that this was a done deal and that resistance was pointless. We never accepted that and today shows that standing firm and keeping the pressure on does work.” 

Mr McNamara also said any move to split the agreement and provisionally apply the trade elements of the deal while the legal process is ongoing would be completely unacceptable.

He said:

To try to push this through while the court is examining it would be a slap in the face to democracy and to every farmer who has taken the time to stand up and be heard.

MEP Billy Kelleher said the referral vote was a welcome one. “Today, I voted with a majority of the parliament to refer the deal to the court. It’s clear that there are issues, on many fronts, with regards to this trade deal.” 

MEP Nina Carberry, who also voted in favour of the referral, said: "I am opposed to Mercosur and this agreement will not pass with my support… Our farmers deserve a level playing field — and with this agreement, that simply does not exist.”