The European Parliament's decision to ask the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to rule on whether the Mercosur Agreement complies with the European treaties passed with a majority of 334 ayes to 324 nays, and the 10 votes of the Social Democrat MEPs made the difference, Romania's Social Democrat Party (PSD) said on Wednesday.
"Extraordinary victory in the European Parliament regarding the Mercosur Agreement, with the decisive vote of the PSD MEPs. The vote of the PSD MEPs decisively tilted the decision of the European Parliament in favour of the verification of the Mercosur Agreement by the Court of Justice of the European Union! The European Parliament's decision to ask the CJEU to consider whether the Mercosur Agreement complies with the European treaties was adopted by a majority of 334 votes in favour to 324 votes against. The 10 votes of the PSD MEPs made the difference! As promised, PSD voted to protect Romanian farmers and the agricultural sector in Romania and Europe. The vote cast today in the European Parliament will suspend the procedure for the adoption of the Mercosur Agreement pending a CJEU ruling," PSD said in a press statement released on Wednesday.
The party said it will continue to use all possible channels to make sure that the European bodies introduce firm and effective guarantees that ensure equal competition between European and Latin American farmers.
"PSD considers that the undeniable benefits of the Mercosur Agreement should not be gained to the detriment of sectors that have a significant share in Romania's national economy. We support the agreement, but with fair guarantees for Romanian and European farmers. Effects of the vote in the European Parliament: if the vote for the opinion is majority, then the approval process of the Interim Trade Agreement (ITA) will be suspended until the CJEU ruling; if the CJEU rules that the agreement fails to comply with European law, then depending on the court's reasoning, the passage or even the entire renegotiation process with the Mercosur states will have to be resumed. That will allow stronger guarantees for farmers in the European Union to be included in the agreement. If the CJEU rules that the agreement complies with EU law, then the passage will be resumed, with a relatively high chance of being approved and implemented without the additional guarantees required by Romanian and European farmers," according to PSD.
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