EU Court Rejects Poland Bid to Suspend Mercosur Trade Deal

The Court of Justice of the European Union has rejected Poland's request to suspend the provisional application of the EU Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement, leaving the trade pact in force while Poland's main legal challenge continues.

The Vice President of the Court ruled on September 29 that Poland had not sufficiently demonstrated that provisional application of the agreement was likely to cause serious and irreparable damage before the Court decides the underlying case.

The interim trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries has been applied provisionally since May 1, 2026. Agriculture has been among the most politically sensitive parts of the agreement because of concerns about competition in beef, poultry, sugar and other farm products.

Poland argued that increased agricultural imports could create risks for EU farmers, human and animal health and the environment. The Court said the application for emergency suspension did not provide sufficiently concrete evidence that those risks would produce imminent and irreparable harm.

The Court also noted that agricultural products imported from Mercosur remain subject to EU food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary rules, and that the agreement preserves mechanisms allowing the EU to act when products fail to meet those standards.

On farmer economics, the order said Poland had not provided specific evidence showing that EU farmers would be unable to withstand additional competition or that provisional application would probably cause serious disruption to the agricultural market.

The ruling does not decide whether the agreement itself is lawful. Poland's separate action seeking annulment of the Council decision is still pending, and the Court explicitly said the interim order does not prejudge that case.

For agricultural trade, the immediate effect is continuity. The EU Mercosur interim agreement remains provisionally applicable while the legal challenge proceeds, keeping tariff and market access changes in force unless a later judgment or political decision alters the framework.