French-speaking Belgian members of the European Parliament have accused the Commission of "forcing through" the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement after it opted for provisional application without waiting for a ruling from the EU's top court or a parliamentary vote.
The move follows a decision by the Council of the EU in January, by qualified majority, authorising provisional application once at least one Mercosur country had ratified the deal. Uruguay and Argentina did so on Thursday, triggering the next step.
For liberal Benoît Cassart, sitting with Renew Europe, the decision amounts to "a serious political mistake".
"Beyond the trade debate, this is a question of democratic respect," he said, arguing that applying the agreement provisionally despite strong reservations from a founding member state such as France ignores the political signal sent by elected representatives and citizens.
On sensitive issues such as agriculture, environmental standards and food sovereignty, he said, democratic debate cannot be bypassed.
Estelle Ceulemans of the PS (S&D) rejected Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's assertion that the agreement would deliver "positive results for all", pointing in particular to concerns raised by farmers and calling for the agricultural chapter to be withdrawn.
Saskia Bricmont (Ecolo, Greens/EFA) described the provisional application as a "denial of democracy", arguing that it runs counter to an interinstitutional framework agreement.
Yvan Verougstraete (Les Engagés, Renew) also stressed the need to respect the parliamentary vote and democratic process.
Within the Left group, co-chair Manon Aubry labelled the move an "unprecedented democratic power grab".
The European Parliament is expected to vote on the agreement once it has received an opinion from the EU Court of Justice.
Political reactions are divided across Belgium. Flemish MEPs from N-VA and Open Vld support provisional application.
Kathleen Van Brempt (Vooruit, S&D), who backs the treaty, nonetheless acknowledged that parliamentary support is not guaranteed and said efforts would continue to address existing concerns.
