The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) reported this Wednesday (21) that it was aware of and is now following the next steps of the European Parliament’s decisionwhich, by a narrow margin of votes, decided to ask the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) a legal assessment of the bloc’s commercial partnership agreement with Mercosur (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).
The treaty, which provides for the creation of the largest free trade zone in the world, with more than 720 million inhabitants, was signed by representatives of both sides last Saturday (17), in Asunción, Paraguay.
“The Brazilian government gives all priority to the ratification of the Mercosur-European Union Agreement and will continue working to accelerate its internal approval procedures with a view to ensuring that all conditions for its full entry into force are met as quickly as possible”, said the ministry, in a statement sent to the report.
The request for a legal opinion on the legality of the terms of the treaty, as well as on the procedures adopted to obtain its conclusion, was approved this Wednesday by MEPs. In practice, the measure paralyzes the process of implementing the agreement, which still needs to be approved by the legislators of the 32 countries involved (27 European and five South American).
334 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the Court of Justice’s request for a legal assessment. The proposal received 324 votes against and 11 abstentions.
In a note, the European Parliament informed that it will continue to analyze the terms of the agreement, but that it will only decide whether or not to take the matter to the Plenary after receiving the court’s legal opinion.
According to the news agency Reutersthe court usually takes around two years to issue an opinion. Also according to the agency, the European Union could implement the pact provisionally while awaiting the decision and final decision of the European Parliament, “but this could be politically difficult, given the likely negative reaction” and the possibility of parliament annulling it later.
In Brazil, the government’s expectations is that the internalization of the agreement is approved by the National Congress by the second half of the year.
By the terms of what was approvedthe commercial treaty, provides for the elimination of customs duties on most goods and services produced between the two blocs. Mercosur will eliminate tariffs on 91% of European goods within 15 years. The European Union will eliminate tariffs on 95% of Mercosur goods within 12 years.
