France, Feb. 27 -- EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced the bloc would go forward with agreement pending the EU top court's ruling on its legality after Argentina and Uruguay ratified the agreement Thursday.

"The commission will now proceed with provisional application," von der Leyen said in Brussels, recalling that member states had given the EU executive power to do so.

Mercosur deal in sight as EU chief von der Leyen pushes past French objections

"Provisional application is, by its nature, provisional," she added, saying: "The agreement can only be fully concluded once the European Parliament has given its consent."

She hailed the ratification by the two South American countries as "good news".

European parliament's role

The ...