Julie Girling (ECR). – Mr President, I want workplaces to be safe, irrespective of their setting. I want to maintain the EU’s reputation as a setter of very high standards, but I guess that on the day when this Parliament voted to disregard the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence and restrict the authorisation of glyphosate, perhaps it should come as no surprise that we are being asked to vote to lower acceptable limits on chromium 6, which similarly have no scientific basis.

In order to ensure ongoing protection and confidence in the system, and that is what this legislation is all about, we should ensure that decisions on substances and levels are robust and not political. They should be based on the scientific evidence.

I therefore regret the inclusion of this item in an otherwise largely sensible and commendable trilogue conclusion and I can only come to the conclusion that, sadly, I will not be able to vote in favour. I will have to abstain on that basis.