Strasbourg, 26/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - Following the line of its rapporteur Pernille Frahm (GUE/NGL, Denmark), the European Parliament gave its green light last week in Strasbourg to the ratification by the Community of two international instruments for controlling and eliminating persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, DDT and dioxines. This involves the Stockholm Convention and the 1998 Convention on long distance cross border air pollution. Parliament's amendments prioritise the protection of human health and the environment, in compliance with the objectives in the two conventions. It has therefore decided that ratification will be done on the basis of Article 175 alone (paragraph 1 of the treaty and not Article 95, paragraph 1 "Internal Market" proposed by the Commission). This amendment of the legal basis will enable Member States greater autonomy in regulating and inspecting hazardous substances by applying the precautionary principle. They will be authorised to take stricter national measures if they think necessary, with the ultimate objective being the elimination of POPs.