The European People’s Party (EPP) has published a position on its website opposing the referral of the EU-Mercosur agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
“The EPP Group believes that suspending the agreement would undermine Europe’s credibility as a global player,” said the political group, as cited by wPolityce. Notably, the EPP, which pushed out Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party in 2021, includes Civic Coalition (KO), led by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and the Polish People’s Party (PSL).
“Delaying Mercosur deal weakens Europe,” the EPP statement was titled, as the group made it clear that it unequivocally opposes referring the Mercosur agreement to the European Court of Justice.
JUST IN: Battles between farmers and police break out in Strasbourg.
Thousands of farmers are protesting the EU's disastrous Mercosur free trade deal.
Police fire tear gas while EU elites wine and dine at the WEF in Davos. pic.twitter.com/JwaK0NLMGW
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 20, 2026However, the deal is seen as a major disaster for Polish and European farmers. Despite Tusk throwing up some signs that he would not back the deal, now that his party could have the opportunity to help do so, he is taking marching orders from the EPP, which critics have long argued was dominated by Germany.
“Tusk pretends to oppose the agreement at home, but in Brussels… he just nods, watching Poles pay the price for his passive stance,” wrote PiS MEP Maciej Wąsik on X.
The EPP parliamentary group, once led by Donald Tusk and now led by Germany’s Manfred Weber, is pushing for the swift approval of the Mercosur agreement, which is harmful to Poland, while simultaneously criticizing the request to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.
Just last week, PSL Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski promised to challenge the agreement before the ECJ, posting on X: “As the Polish Government, we will do everything to protect Polish farmers.” The minister underlined the importance of the Polish cause while also asking “unions” and the opposition to stop interfering. Now, that stance appears to be crumbling.
“I also have an appeal to the opposition and some ‘unions’: stop getting in the way. Put aside the principle of ‘the worse, the better’. Today, the Polish countryside is more important than your poll numbers and private interests,” he wrote last week.
“Referring the EU-Mercosur agreement to the Court of Justice of the EU would halt the ratification process, forcing parliament to halt its work and triggering a lengthy legal review. This would effectively block any parliamentary decisions on the agreement for months. The EPP Group believes that suspending the agreement would undermine Europe’s credibility as a global player. Delays risk allowing China to seize the initiative, while the agreement represents a key opportunity to strengthen Europe’s partnership with Latin America,” it adds.
🇫🇷🇪🇺 26-year-old French organic farmer, Anaïs Foulquier, says that the EU's new Mercosur free trade deal with South America will destroy her farm.
"We are young organic farmers. We rear our own goats, dairy cows and laying hens. We respect everything, the standards, the… pic.twitter.com/UyJjN0cWY8
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 20, 2026Before the deal was signed, “It’s worth emphasizing that the European Commission itself admits that the agreement will harm agriculture, since it proposes a billion euros in compensation, even though this is a mere drop in the ocean of needs. For Poland, this means a real risk of a decline in domestic production and increased dependence on imports. The mechanism does not rule out a massive influx of cheaper products from Mercosur countries, manufactured to lower standards,” said Jadwiga Wiśniewska, a PiS MEP.
The deal could serve as a major blow to food quality, resulting in cheap meat and produce imports from South America, where standards are notably lax when it comes to pesticide and GMO use. Over the coming years, these products would find their way more and more often onto European shelves.
While the EU insists on the issue of climate protection and the Green Deal, this free trade deal will also turbocharge destructive agricultural practices in South America, where enforcement of environmental protection remains weak. Tens of millions of acres of rainforest have been destroyed to make way for cattle grazing and monocrop cultivation of soybeans and other cash crops, but with the lucrative EU market opened up, it could create a frenzy to destroy even more rainforest and convert it to agricultural use.
Nevertheless, EU lawmakers are issuing numerous talking points in support of the deal.
“Unlocking a free trade area for 700 million consumers is exactly what Europe needs to increase its competitiveness in today’s increasingly uncertain global economy. By reducing tariffs and simplifying customs procedures, we will increase trade in goods and services, stimulate investment, and strengthen the diversification of supply chains,” says Jörgen Warborn, MEP and EPP Group spokesperson on international trade.
