BRUSSELS, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament on Wednesday voted to refer the EU-Mercosur trade agreement to the EU Court of Justice for review, a move that could slow the ratification process and add uncertainty to the deal's implementation.

The vote showed that 334 lawmakers were in favour of the legal assessment, 324 against and 11 abstained.

The European Union (EU) and Mercosur formally signed the free trade agreement on Jan. 17 in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.

The agreement aims to reduce tariffs and expand trade between the two blocs and awaits approval by the European Parliament, as well as ratification by the legislatures of Mercosur member states Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. ■