The European Parliament narrowly adopted a motion on Wednesday to refer the free trade agreement between the EU and the South American countries of Mercosur to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for review.
This extremely close vote (334 votes to 324, with 11 abstentions) suspends the legislative review of this controversial agreement until the Court issues its ruling in several months.
Signed last weekend in Paraguay, this treaty, which has been under negotiation for more than 25 years, would create the EU's largest free trade area in terms of consumer numbers.
The deal is supported by a majority of European industry and commerce, but its agricultural component is contested by a large proportion of European farmers.
The announcement of the vote was greeted with cheers outside the European Parliament, where European farmers have been protesting since Tuesday.
Saskia Bricmont, the Belgian MEP for the Greens/EFA, explained on Wednesday that "MEPs are asking the Court to rule on the legality of the Commission's decision to split the Agreement into two texts, which has implications in terms of the majority required for the Agreement to be adopted and the involvement of national and even regional parliaments."
She added: "The Court will need to examine the extent to which the Agreement is compatible with the precautionary principle laid down in the European Treaties, which is a cornerstone of our approach to ensuring a healthy environment and safe food."
