Brussels, 05/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - The latest Environment Council under French EU Presidency calls for the adoption of a multilateral instrument to serve as a framework at global level for the risks that mercury entails for human health and the environment. Conclusions adopted along these lines in Brussels on 4 December with a view to UNEP negotiations (Nairobi, 16-20 February) recommend that the agreement aim to: - reduce supply, demand, emissions and the international trade in mercury; - ensure rational environmentally-friendly management of waste containing mercury; - find solutions for the ecological storage of this heavy metal; - decontaminate sites already contaminated; - and increase knowledge on mercury. (A.N./trnals.jl)