During the EP plenary session (13 - 16 March 2017) in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on the report by Stefan ECK (GUE/NGL, DE) concerning the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on mercury. Statements by Stefan ECK (GUE/NGL, DE, Rapporteur,&nbsp; Vera JOUROVA, Member of the EC in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Michel DANTIN (EPP, FR), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK) and Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL).

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

EICKHOUT, Bas (Greens/EFA, NL)

JOUROVÁ, Věra (EC)

GIRLING, Julie (EPP, UK)

DANTIN, Michel (EPP, FR)

ECK, Stefan (GUE/NGL, DE)

mercury pollution (T)

Mercury: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (German), Stefan ECK (GUE/NGL, DE), Rapporteur, In the light of the danger for human health and the environment we need a strong and tough approach to deliver on our responsibility rather to go round engaging cosmetic changes. My appeal to you as Rapporteur is to ensure that the Minimata Convention is properly implemented as soon as possible in an ambitious way.

SOUNDBITE (German), Stefan ECK (GUE/NGL, DE), Rapporteur, I would have liked something more ambitious in the text, nonetheless after we will have adopted the report we can at least bring about a reduction in the use of mercury in dentistry. We know that the EU needs 75 tons of mercury per year, in particular for dental amalgam.

SOUNDBITE (English), V&#277;ra JOUROV&#193;, Member of the EC in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, The EU&rsquo;s mercury policy is the most advanced worldwide but 40 to 80% of mercury deposited in the EU comes from other parts of the world. That is why we call for global action and took on a leading role in the negotiations on the Minimata convention on mercury.

SOUNDBITE (English), Vĕra JOUROV&Aacute;, Member of the EC in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, The Commission is very happy that the Parliament fully supported our proposal to put an end to new uses of mercury in products and industrial processes. This flagship measures demonstrate EU&rsquo;s continuing global leadership in this policy area. The new regulation will also ensure that all known industrial processes using mercury convert to mercury free alternatives and that mercury waste is safely stored and out of reach, thereby avoiding its improper use and release to the environment.

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel DANTIN (EPP, FR), This new text is an ambitious one and it means that Europe will be leading the fight against heavy metal pollution around the world. At the same time however the text also ensures that our businesses and researchers will have time to find viable alternatives.

SOUNDBITE (English), Julie GIRLING, Member states will have to adopt national action plans on the phased down of mercury in dentistry and the Commission will study the feasibility of a complete phase out in the long term, preferably by 2030. This gradual approach is important.

SOUNDBITE (English), Bas EICKHOUT (Greens/EFA, NL), The Commission&rsquo;s proposal was modest, it was a bit of an implementation of the Minimata Convention and I think that the Parliament really strengthened this proposal and most important is of course if you look at how we treat dental amalgam. It has been stated before, we want a direct phase out for vulnerable groups, it&rsquo;s a national action plan to be drafted by the member states and the Commission will come up by 2020 with a proposal for phase out by 2030. These are good results, yet the Parliament would have preferred to go further? Absolutely, but we know that in the Council only one member state supported that, and that was Sweden, we had 27 member states not on that position. If you then look it is Europe, how we got to the compromise. This is a compromise we can support and we will therefore vote in favour of this deal.