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The Patriots for Europe, the third-largest political group in the European Parliament, filed a censure motion Wednesday against the European Commission for a trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The group said the European Commission "bypassed" European and national parliaments and ignored the concerns of millions of European farmers.

The agreement was approved by EU member states last Friday, after more than 20 years of negotiations and delays in December caused by farmer protests and opposition from countries such as France, Ireland, Hungary and Poland.

Under the deal, tariffs on agricultural products, including beef, poultry, dairy, sugar and ethanol, will be reduced for Mercosur countries, while European industries will gain increased access to South American markets.

The group argued that the agreement threatens European food security and sovereignty by allowing imports that do not meet EU environmental, sanitary and animal welfare standards, exposing domestic farmers to unfair competition.

"The so-called safeguard clauses proposed by the Commission offer no real protection and fail to guarantee genuine reciprocity of standards," said the group, adding that the EU Commission "systematically circumvented" the deal into two legal instruments to circumvent parliamentary ratification procedures.

Patriots for Europe encouraged all political groups committed to defending farmers, food sovereignty, and democratic accountability to support the motion.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen survived similar confidence motions on the Gaza Strip and trade in July and October. If passed, the motion would force her commission to resign; however, given the parliamentary composition, analysts believe the initiatives are unlikely to succeed.