EU's Own Parliament Sends Major Trade Deal to Court

The European Parliament has voted to send a new trade deal with South America's Mercosur bloc to the EU's top court. This move creates serious legal uncertainty for the agreement. The decision is a direct setback for the European Commission, the EU's executive body. Just hours before the vote, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had praised the pact as a "historic deal" in a speech to lawmakers. The trade agreement was negotiated for over 20 years. The parliament's action now casts the freshly signed accord into limbo.