Brussels, 12/07/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday, 12 July, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) approved—by 67 votes in favour, 7 against, and 1 abstention—the provisional agreement that was reached on 21 June between European Parliament negotiators and the Presidency of the Council of the EU so as to place stricter concentration limit values on waste containing highly toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as PBDEs, dioxins and furans, and PFHxS (see EUROPE 12976/1). The update of Annexes IV and V of Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on POPs had been proposed in order to satisfy the requirements of the international Stockholm Convention, which it transposes. Martin Hojsík (Renew Europe, Slovakia) had negotiated on behalf of the European Parliament in order to work towards a toxic-free circular economy (see EUROPE 12944/8). The text still needs to be confirmed by the European Parliament. (AN)