The EU and South America’s Mercosur bloc agreed to a trade deal last month, after 25 years of on-again, off-again negotiations. But the European Parliament has opted to wait on giving the final go-ahead. By a 334-324 vote, the lawmakers asked the EU Court of Justice to first rule on the deal’s legality. It also needs to pass the respective assemblies of the five Mercosur states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. European Commission (EC) negotiators are not happy. Speaking at a