Late on 21 January 2026 the European Parliament voted 334–324 to refer the freshly signed EU–Mercosur free-trade agreement to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) for a legality check. The motion was drafted by a cross-party group of 144 lawmakers led by Poland’s Krzysztof Hetman (Polish People’s Party) and Beata Mazurek (Law and Justice). Until the Court delivers an opinion—likely in 2028—the pact cannot be ratified, delaying tariff cuts that would have benefited Polish agri-equipment exporters and logistics providers handling South-America-bound freight via the Port of Gdynia.
Hetman argued that the agreement, concluded only twelve days earlier, risks undermining EU environmental and consumer-protection standards and could enter provisional application without proper democratic oversight. Opponents, including Polish ship-owners’ group ZPPM and the national exporters’ union KIG, warned that paralysis hurts SME internationalisation plans and weakens the bloc’s geopolitical hand.
For mobility professionals the delay matters because dozens of multinationals use Polish shared-service centres and engineering hubs to support Latin-American operations. Without tariff certainty, companies may postpone short-term assignments to São Paulo and Buenos Aires, while Polish specialists seconded under the EU’s internal-transfer rules could face more complex customs and tax planning. HR teams should revisit assignment budgets, model alternative supply chains and watch for interim bilateral deals that individual member states—Spain and Portugal are already exploring—might ink with Mercosur countries.
![Polish MEPs spearhead move to send EU–Mercosur trade pact to Court of Justice]()
In that context, Polish firms and professionals planning travel to Argentina, Brazil or other Mercosur states can still act proactively. VisaHQ’s Warsaw-based portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) allows users to verify the latest visa requirements, complete applications online and arrange courier submissions without leaving the office. Automated alerts notify HR managers of rule changes, helping keep cross-border projects on schedule even while the trade pact remains in limbo.
The episode also highlights the growing clout of Polish MEPs in trade governance. Analysts expect Warsaw to leverage that influence in upcoming talks on the EU–Indonesia FTA and on tightening sustainability clauses in the EU–Chile agreement. A senior official in Poland’s Ministry of Development told reporters that “if Mercosur stalls indefinitely, we will push Brussels to compensate frontline exporters through expanded market-access funds.”
The CJEU must first decide whether it has jurisdiction; if it does, a full ruling on treaty compliance typically takes 18-24 months, meaning businesses face continued uncertainty well into 2028.
Hetman argued that the agreement, concluded only twelve days earlier, risks undermining EU environmental and consumer-protection standards and could enter provisional application without proper democratic oversight. Opponents, including Polish ship-owners’ group ZPPM and the national exporters’ union KIG, warned that paralysis hurts SME internationalisation plans and weakens the bloc’s geopolitical hand.
For mobility professionals the delay matters because dozens of multinationals use Polish shared-service centres and engineering hubs to support Latin-American operations. Without tariff certainty, companies may postpone short-term assignments to São Paulo and Buenos Aires, while Polish specialists seconded under the EU’s internal-transfer rules could face more complex customs and tax planning. HR teams should revisit assignment budgets, model alternative supply chains and watch for interim bilateral deals that individual member states—Spain and Portugal are already exploring—might ink with Mercosur countries.
In that context, Polish firms and professionals planning travel to Argentina, Brazil or other Mercosur states can still act proactively. VisaHQ’s Warsaw-based portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) allows users to verify the latest visa requirements, complete applications online and arrange courier submissions without leaving the office. Automated alerts notify HR managers of rule changes, helping keep cross-border projects on schedule even while the trade pact remains in limbo.
The episode also highlights the growing clout of Polish MEPs in trade governance. Analysts expect Warsaw to leverage that influence in upcoming talks on the EU–Indonesia FTA and on tightening sustainability clauses in the EU–Chile agreement. A senior official in Poland’s Ministry of Development told reporters that “if Mercosur stalls indefinitely, we will push Brussels to compensate frontline exporters through expanded market-access funds.”
The CJEU must first decide whether it has jurisdiction; if it does, a full ruling on treaty compliance typically takes 18-24 months, meaning businesses face continued uncertainty well into 2028.
