The draft report by Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Renew Europe, French) on the revision of the directive on occupational exposure to asbestos (see EUROPE 13102/12) received a fairly positive reception on Monday 6 February in the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL).
With one major difference. While the French proposal was welcomed in that it aims to strengthen the protection of workers with a more robust method of detecting asbestos fibres than the optical microscopy technology used today, a review of the certification of asbestos detection bodies and support, notably via European funds, for staff training in asbestos detection techniques, several MEPs from The Left, S&D, Greens/EFA and EPP called for it to be more ambitious on the exposure value.
The MEP retained the Commission’s proposal to lower the current value to 0.01 fibres/cm3, but the European Parliament, led by Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left, Danish), in an own-initiative report, in 2021 had came out in favour of a limit value of 0.001 fibres/cm3.
Cindy Franssen (EPP, Belgian), Sara Matthieu (Greens/EFA, Belgian), but also Nikolaj Villumsen argued again on Monday for the EMPL Committee to take over the 2021 mandate. The left-wing groups will table amendments to this effect by Thursday 9 February, the deadline for tabling of amendments.
Beyond this divergence of views on the occupational exposure value, the positions seemed to be fairly easily reconcilable on a large majority of points on Monday, with several MEPs noting a spirit of compromise.
As a reminder, the MEP has proposed to switch to a more advanced methodology for calculating asbestos than at present, namely transmission electron microscopy, within 3 years, as opposed to the 7-year period sought by the EU Council. A powerful asbestos fibre detection methodology can indeed, in her view, achieve the same result as a value reduced to 0.00. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)