The process would kick the can down the road by up to two years.
This vote is effectively a dry run of where the majority would stand on final approval. Many of the lawmakers who support the deal are expected to reject sending it to court.
However, that is not the case for some: The 12 German Green lawmakers, for example, are in favor of the deal but also support sending it to court to assess its legality — making Wednesday’s vote even tighter.
In the Council of the EU, the bloc’s intergovernmental branch, the agreement won a qualified majority despite the opposition of France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary. Belgium abstained; Italy only backed the deal after securing safeguards and funding commitments for its farmers.
A Parliament vote against the deal would deal a massive blow to Brussels and the pro-deal camp led by Germany.
“We must not let this opportunity go to waste,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said last week, calling on the European Parliament to back the deal. “We need not talk any further about European sovereignty or Europe’s ability to act if we do not succeed in bringing such free trade agreements to a positive conclusion.”