In a vote in Strasbourg at lunchtime, 431 MEPs voted yes and 161 no to the proposal. 70 MEPs abstained. Of the Swedes, SD voted no, the other parties voted yes.
Although the vote is not about the agreement itself, the yes vote is seen as an important step towards the agreement that has been negotiated back and forth for years between the EU and the Mercosur countries of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Compromise negotiations between the parliament and the EU member states on the protective measures are now to be held as early as Wednesday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hopes to travel to Brazil as early as Saturday to say yes to the agreement.
But the situation is still very unclear. France is pushing hard to wait until next year at the earliest. This in turn could mean that the agreement will also have problems in Latin America, as Paraguay, which is also critical of the agreement, takes over as chairman of Mercosur after the turn of the year.
