European Union lawmakers have voted to hold up a major free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries over concerns about the legality of the deal.

The ECJ review is likely to take more than 12 months, pushing back the timetable for ratification of the accord with the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The European Parliament is considering linking approval of a massive US trade deal to Donald Trump backing down from his threats to take over Greenland, putting further strain on an agreement already facing opposition.

After clearing major political hurdles after more than two decades, the mammoth trade deal now faces further delay pending a judicial verdict. View on euronews

Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil are moving forward with internal ratification processes for the trade agreement between Mercosur and EU.

A key group of European Parliament members blocked a vote to ratify a US-European trade deal Wednesday after President Donald Trump threatened to take over Greenland and charge as much as an additional 35% tariff on countries opposed to his ambitions.

European Parliament Member Anders Vistisen confronts President Donald Trump's Greenland interest with profanity-laced rebuke, drawing official reprimand from parliament leadership.

The European Parliament again backed listing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group, though the final decision remains with the EU Council.