On Wednesday 20 October, MEPs adopted by an overwhelming majority (675 votes in favour, 2 against and 23 abstentions) the ‘Villumsen’ legislative own-initiative report in which they call on the European Commission to present a European Strategy for the Removal of All Asbestos (ESRAA), as well as an occupational exposure limit value of 1,000 fibres/m2 (00.1 fibres/cm3).
“Success!”, said rapporteur Nikolaj Villumsen, (The Left, Denmark) on Twitter. During the plenary debate, on Monday 18 October in the evening, the rapporteur pointed out that 80% of buildings in Europe were constructed before the asbestos ban.
The great Building Renovation Wave launched by the European Commission in the autumn of 2020 (see EUROPE 12581/10), for him, represents an opportunity as well as a life-threatening risk for tens of thousands of workers who will then be exposed to asbestos.
Therefore, we must act quickly, he insisted.
Thus, MEPs call for a European framework for national asbestos removal strategies, including a legislative proposal on minimum standards for publicly accessible national asbestos registers.
They call for an update of Directive 2009/148/EC to protect workers from asbestos. Here, they suggest a legislative proposal to recognise work-related diseases, including all known asbestos-related conditions with minimum standards for recognition procedures and compensation of victims.
The Parliament is also calling for an update of Directive 2010/31/EU, intending to introduce a requirement for mandatory asbestos testing and systematic removal before renovation work begins.
MEPs also want a legislative proposal for a compulsory inspection of buildings before they are sold or rented out and for an asbestos survey for buildings built before 2005 or before the year of the national asbestos ban.
In the annexe to the report, they propose a timetable for prioritising the removal of asbestos from key public buildings (schools, health care facilities, social housing, etc.) with a regular evaluation of progress every 5 years. In their view, the European structural and investment funds could play a key role in financing this work. In general, Member States are invited to strengthen labour inspection bodies.
The report, which was mainly supported by MEPs from The Left Group, received a broad consensus, despite the reluctance of the EPP Group, which threatened to abstain until the last minute.
The unions are satisfied. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) welcomed the vote, recalling that asbestos costs the lives of around 90,000 people a year.
The ball is now in the court of the European Commission, which has scheduled a legislative initiative for the third quarter of 2022, according to its work programme (see EUROPE 12815/2).
During the debate with the European Parliament, the European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, explained that he had launched the preparatory work for updating Directive 2009/148/EC to lower the existing occupational exposure limit. However, he insisted on respect for the scientific evaluation process and the autonomy of the social partners.
During the preparation of the report, the European Commission was very reluctant to set a specific exposure limit value until the consultation and assessment process had been completed (see EUROPE 12799/22). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)