EU-Mercosur deal likely to take effect provisionally from March, says EU diplomat

The EU’s free trade deal with South American countries will probably be applied on a provisional basis as soon as March, an EU diplomat told Reuters on Thursday, despite a looming challenge at the bloc’s top court.

EU lawmakers dealt a blow to the contentious trade agreement with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay on Wednesday by referring it to the European Court of Justice, potentially delaying it by two years.

“The EU-Mercosur agreement shall be applied provisionally...