Overview
- MEPs voted 334–324, with 11 abstentions, to seek an ECJ review of the EU–Mercosur deal, an outcome driven by a majority of Green MEPs aligning with The Left and many far-right members.
- Parliament cannot give final consent before the court rules, and the ECJ sets no deadline, raising the prospect of months or even years of delay.
- Senior Greens including Franziska Brantner, Felix Banaszak and Cem Özdemir urged the European Commission to provisionally apply the pact despite the legal referral.
- Criticism came from across parties, with Jens Spahn, Wolfgang Kubicki, Lars Klingbeil and Manfred Weber pressing for rapid implementation, while France warned that forcing provisional application would flout the Parliament’s signal.
- Farmer protests outside the Strasbourg plenary celebrated the vote, as supporters and opponents clashed over deforestation risks, enforcement of climate and labour standards, and impacts on EU agriculture.