Despite the European Parliament’s rejection of the Mercosur trade agreement with South American countries, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes the European Union should implement it as soon as possible.
The CDU prime minister called the EP’s decision “regrettable,” as a narrow European Parliament majority (334 vs. 324) has sent the agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
On his social media page, Merz wrote: “I regret that the European Parliament has put another obstacle in the way of Mercosur. But rest assured: We won’t be stopped. The Mercosur-deal is fair and balanced. There is no alternative if we want to have higher growth in Europe.”
I regret that the European Parliament has put another obstacle in the way of Mercosur. But rest assured: We won't be stopped. The Mercosur-deal is fair and balanced. There is no alternative if we want to have higher growth in Europe. pic.twitter.com/xtlfeXd93R
— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) January 22, 2026In another post, the German chancellor noted that the EU parliament vote “misjudges the geopolitical situation. We are convinced of the agreement’s legality. No more delays. The agreement must now be applied provisionally.”
The decision has also sparked a major political debate in Germany. CDU MEP Dennis Radtke called the vote a “disaster” and said it was a shame that some European People’s Party politicians, fearing right-wing forces, supported the legal investigation.
Social Democrat (SPD) Bernd Lange also expressed sharp criticism, calling the EU parliament’s move an “own goal.”
The majority of German parties were divided: the CDU/CSU, SPD, and FDP members largely voted against the investigation, while the AfD – with one exception – supported it. Left-wing parties, including Die Linke and BSW, also voted in favor. The Greens faction was divided, as was the Free Voters.
According to AfD’s Peter Felser, the party’s Bundestag faction’s forest policy spokesman, the agreement not only threatens the livelihood of European farmers but could also cause serious environmental damage, reports Magyar Nemzet.
He said that due to the lower production and food safety standards of South American countries, Europe could be flooded with “genetically modified and hormone-treated imported foods.”
Several European farmers’ organizations and farmers’ demonstrations took place in front of the parliament building in Strasbourg. Some 5,000 demonstrators and hundreds of tractors paralyzed traffic in the city. The protesters held banners criticizing Ursula von der Leyen’s policies, expressing their dissatisfaction with the policies of the European Commission.
Brussels has been negotiating a free trade agreement with Mercosur countries — Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay — since 1999. Critics, including German and other European farmers’ organizations, have long warned that the agreement in its current form would seriously damage the competitiveness of European agriculture, while also fueling political and economic tensions within the union.
