The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is urging the European Commission to review the dangerousness of the virus that causes Covid-19 upwards to classify it as one of the most dangerous biological agents, in a statement issued on Wednesday 13 May.
The call comes as experts from the Member States, meeting in the European Commission’s Technical Progress Committee, prepare to decide on Thursday 14 May on the category of biological agent into which the new coronavirus (or rather the SARS-CoV-2 virus) should be classified under the Directive on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to biological agents at work (Directive 2000/54/EC).
However, national experts are reportedly moving towards a classification of the virus as category 3, alongside SARS or MERS viruses, where category 3 refers to agents for which there is prophylaxis or “effective treatment” and category 4 refers to agents for which there is no prophylaxis or effective treatment.
The ETUC fears that a lower classification may lead to a lower protection of workers’ health and therefore to an increase in the level of contamination among workers. According to the unions, if category 3 were to be validated tomorrow, this classification could be challenged before the EU Court of Justice.
Furthermore, the ETUC is “very concerned” about the fact that it seems, moreover, that the European Agency for Safety and Health, EU-OSHA, has had no say on classification. During a debate in the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) on Thursday 7 May, several MEPs expressed their regret at this classification to the Executive Director of EU-OSHA (see EUROPE 12482/5).
If the technical committee were to reach an agreement, the Commission could consider adopting the measure in June, we are told. The decision will then be sent to the European Parliament and the EU Council for evaluation. In the EMPL Committee, the debate is opening on whether or not MEPs will object to this decision. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)