11/01/24 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 11 January, members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee backed a legislative proposal to further restrict the use and trade of mercury in order to protect human health and the environment from this heavy metal, while at the same time extending the deadlines. The amended draft report by Marlene Mortler (EPP, German) was adopted by 70 votes to 3 with 2 abstentions (see EUROPE 13324/6). It postpones by 5 years (1 January 2030, instead of 2025) the date of the ban on the manufacture in the EU and export of dental amalgams to give doctors time to undergo the necessary training and to allow national health insurance schemes to adapt their reimbursement policies accordingly. It also asks the European Commission to report by 31 December 2025 on mercury emissions and discharges from crematoria. (AN)