On Wednesday 21 January, in a very close vote that came down to 10 votes (334 votes in favour, 324 against, 9 abstentions), the European Parliament adopted a referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to assess the compatibility of the EU/Mercosur agreement - signed in Paraguay on 17 January - with the EU Treaties.
The effect of this vote is to freeze Parliament’s ratification process until the Court issues its judgment, which could take more than a year.
A spokesperson...