Mayo TD and Midlands–North-West MEP welcome court referral of EU–Mercosur trade deal

The European Parliament has voted to refer the EU–Mercosur trade agreement to the European Court of Justice, following a closely contested vote in Strasbourg.

The motion passed by a margin of ten votes in a chamber of more than 700 members and delays further parliamentary consideration of the agreement pending legal review.

Mayo TD Paul Lawless said the referral followed an intensive lobbying effort in Strasbourg focused on Members of the European Parliament who had abstained during a December vote on safeguards linked to the agreement.

“This decision has bought Europe time,” Deputy Lawless said. “Time for scrutiny. Time for due process. And time to test whether this agreement stands up to competition law, environmental obligations, and the basic principles of fairness that are supposed to underpin the Single Market.”

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He said engagement during the lobbying campaign was targeted at MEPs who had previously abstained and who were seeking greater clarity on the adequacy of the proposed safeguards.

According to Deputy Lawless, concerns around anti-competitive practices emerged repeatedly during discussions.

“Corporations can relocate, restructure, or route around regulatory burdens. Farmers cannot. They are bound to the land. “ he said.

“If European farmers are held to the highest standards in the world, while competitors are not, and both are allowed sell into the same market, that is not free trade — it is structurally unfair trade.”

Deputy Lawless said his experience in Strasbourg was that MEPs were open to engagement and actively seeking information.

Echoing this, Midlands–North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly also welcomed the referral to the European Court, describing the vote as a pivotal moment for legal certainty, democratic oversight, and the protection of European farmers.