The European Parliament adopted the compromise agreement reached within Council. Parliament held out the two years of negotiations with Council to make the laws tougher. It succeeded at first reading in including older, dirtier plants in the directive on large combustion plants which was originally intended to cover power stations built after 1987. Its delegation won stringent caps on nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide and dust emissions in exchange for concessions designed to save older, mostly coal-fired, plants from closure. The thorniest issue was the nitrogen oxide (Nox) cap. Under the compromise deal the strict new Nox limit won by the Parliament will apply to new and old plants from 2016. Moreover, anthracite power plants will however have to apply it from 2018.�