Council and Parliament clinch metallic mercury deal

摘要

The European Parliament and Council have managed to head off a crisis over a metallic mercury export ban through a deal reached in informal trialogue talks with the Commission. Parliament will now clear the deal at its Strasbourg plenary next week, in voting on a report from Greek left winger Dimitrios Papadimoulis. Parliament will need to garner an an absolute majority of all MEPs - so 393 votes in favour - for each of the compromise amendments to be adopted. Council approval is expected to come soon after, possibly at the 5 June Environment Council. Key to the deal is a compromise over the date from which mercury exports will be banned - 15 March 2011. The Commission originally proposed 1 October 2011, the Council had wanted 1 July 2011 and Parliament 1 December 2010. Also critical to the deal and one of Parliament's major demands, was that the ban covers not only mercury itself but some mercury compounds for example cinnabar ore, mercury chloride and mercury oxide. However, mercury containing compounds for research and development, medical or analytical purposes will be exempt.