EU Court Ruling Seen as Unlikely to Derail Singapore Trade Deal
- Decision adds hurdles to agreement discussed since 2010
- EU court says national parliaments must have say on such deals
This article is for subscribers only.
A ruling by the top European Union court that all national parliaments should ratify a free-trade agreement with Singapore is not expected to kill the pact, even if the added hurdles delay its implementation.
The EU Court of Justice said Tuesday that approval from national legislatures was needed in addition to support from top European bodies to enact the pact with the Southeast Asian city-state. That’s because the court found that several provisions in the agreement -- such as dispute settlement -- applied to matters shared between the bloc and its member states.