Published: Wed, 21 January 2026
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Speaking from the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, Seán Kelly MEP and Leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament said: “Today, the European Parliament will vote on a request by a number of MEPs who want to refer the Mercosur trade agreement to the European Court of Justice for an opinion. I, personally, do not see any genuine legal reasons for such a referral. MEPs are elected by their constituents to take decisions and the European Parliament has the power to consent to trade deals or not. I will vote against referring these questions to the ECJ as it would set a worrying precedent for future trade agreements”.
“It is important to remember that this week’s vote is not on the Mercosur agreement itself.
“The splitting of trade agreements is not unprecedented – it was the case with the Chile agreement, endorsed by the European Parliament less than two years ago, with strong support from the main political groups of EPP, S&D and Renew”, Kelly added.
“In the current geopolitical context, it is crucial that we value and uphold the democratic decision-making ability and procedures of our EU institutions – not seek to undermine and weaken them for short-term political gain”, warned MEP Kelly.
Mr Kelly, as Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Australia and New Zealand (DANZ), has recently urged that the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement be brought to a successful conclusion as soon as possible.
