Wadephul: European Parliament Mercosur vote a major political mistake

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has criticized the European Parliament's move to seek a legal review of the EU's Mercosur trade agreement as a "very serious political mistake."

The narrowly approved vote, made possible with the backing of Germany's Greens, to have the agreement reviewed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) after years of negotiations represents "a major setback," Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio.

The vote could lead to "a significant delay that also costs political trust," he said.

The agreement with the four Mercosur states - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay - was finalized last week after more than 25 years of negotiations and is intended to create one of the world's largest free-trade areas, covering more than 700 million people.

Supporters see it as a bulwark against the protectionist trade policies of US President Donald Trump.

The deal aims to boost the exchange of goods and services by reducing trade barriers and tariffs, although it has faced considerable criticism in Europe, particularly from farmers.

Most German Green lawmakers voted on Wednesday in favour of referring the agreement to the ECJ for review alongside right-wing forces in the European Parliament including the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

It is unclear how long the court in Luxembourg will take to deliver its assessment.

Wadephul said other countries, including India, were watching closely to see whether the EU was capable of negotiating such agreements and carrying them through politically across all institutions.

He said the loss of political trust now needed to be repaired as quickly as possible by delivering new results and concluding agreements with countries such as India.

Australia is also seeking a free-trade agreement with the EU.