BRUSSELS – To streamline the process, the Commission has suggested a temporary agreement (‘interim trade agreement’) that is governed by the EU’s authority. This arrangement necessitates only a broad majority of EU member states and a majority in the European Parliament, bypassing the need for consent from all national parliaments.
Unanimity among all member states is only required for the comprehensive agreement that will eventually replace the temporary one.
Climate Action Network Europe has criticized this proposed decision-making as “an anti-democratic trick aimed at quelling the significant protests from farmers, public discontent regarding the deal, and the evident opposition from several EU nations.” Previously, over two hundred European civil society organizations issued a letter cautioning against the bifurcation of the deal.
Additionally, more than three hundred Members of the European Parliament signed a letter expressing similar concerns. They are apprehensive that the EU is prioritizing “economic interests” over collaboration, deeming it potentially undemocratic.
The member states and the European Parliament still need to make a decision on whether to endorse the Commission’s proposed decision-making process.
In the Dutch House of Representatives, a motion from the Party for the Animals was passed in March 2023, urging the cabinet to oppose the splitting of the Mercosur agreement as currently suggested by the European Commission. The House has passed multiple motions expressing its disapproval of the Mercosur agreement.
(September 3, 2025)
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