PURPOSE : to make the European Agency for Health and Safety (Bilbao) more effective in the context of enlargement.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Regulation 1112/2005/EC amending Regulation 2062/94/EC establishing a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

CONTENT : the Council adopted a Regulation amending Regulation 2062/94/EC establishing a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

In order to improve the working environment, as regards the protection of the safety and health of workers as provided for in the Treaty and successive Community strategies and action programmes concerning health and safety at the workplace, the aim of the Agency shall be to provide the Community bodies, the Member States, the social partners and those involved in the field with the technical, scientific and economic information of use in the field of safety and health at work."

It’s main aims shall be to:

- collect, analyse and disseminate technical, scientific and economic information in the Member States in order to pass it on to the Community bodies, Member States and interested parties; this collection shall take place to identify risks and good practices as well as existing national priorities and programmes and provide the necessary input to the priorities and programmes of the Community;

- collect and analyse technical, scientific and economic information on research into safety and health at work and on other research activities which involve aspects connected with safety and health at work and disseminate the results of the research and research activities;"

- provide technical, scientific and economic information on methods and tools for implementing preventive activities, identify good practices and promote preventive actions, paying particular attention to the specific problems of small and medium-sized enterprises. With regard to good practices, the Agency should in particular focus on practices which constitute practical tools to be used in drawing up an assessment of the risks to safety and health at work, and identifying the measures to be taken to tackle them;

- contribute to the development of Community strategies and action programmes relating to the protection of safety and health at work, without prejudice to the Commission's sphere of competence;

Furthermore, the Agency shall ensure that the information disseminated is comprehensible to the end users. To achieve this objective, the Agency shall work closely with the national focal points as well as with the existing institutions, foundations, specialist bodies and programmes at Community level in order to avoid any duplication. In particular, the Agency shall ensure appropriate cooperation with the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, without prejudice to its own aims.

The Agency shall set up a network comprising:

- the main component elements of the national information networks, including the national social partners' organisations, according to national legislation and/or practice;

- the national focal points;

- any future topic centres."

As for the Member States, they shall regularly inform the Agency of the main components of their national health and safety at work information networks, including any institution which in their judgement could contribute to the work of the Agency, taking into account the need to ensure the fullest possible coverage of their territory.

The governing and management structure of the Agency shall comprise: a Governing Board; a Bureau and a Director. The Governing Board shall consist of one member representing the Government from each Member State; one member representing the employers' organisations from each Member State; one member representing the employees' organisations from each Member State and three members representing the Commission.

The term of office of members of the Governing Board shall be three years. It shall be renewable.

Exceptionally, the term of office of the members of the Governing Board who are in office on the day of the entry into force of this Regulation shall be extended until a new Governing Board has been appointed.

The Governing Board shall establish a Bureau of 11 members. The Bureau shall be made up of the chair and the three vice-chairs of the Governing Board, one coordinator per group as referred to in the first subparagraph of paragraph 4, and one more representative of each group and of the Commission. Each group may designate up to three alternates to attend the meetings of the Bureau, in the absence of the full members.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 04/08/2005.

Regulation 2005/1112
OJ L 184 15.07.2005, p. 0005-0009

SP(2005)2124

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Stephen HUGHES (PES, UK) making some amendments to the Commission’s proposal. (Please see the summary of 31/03/2005.) A new recital states that in order to achieve the goals set out above, the Agency needs not only to collect and disseminate information, but also to analyse information, identify risks and good practices and promote preventive action. In this respect it is important to clarify that the Agency has the role of a "risk observatory" and that it should analyse risks, in particular emerging ones, and promote preventive action. Risks to workers' family members should be included in its remit. Particular attention should also be paid to genotoxicity risks which may have consequences for the offspring of an affected worker.

In addition, the Agency will engage in the exchange of information and experience, by way of the systematic collection of data, with the support of Eurostat, amongst the Member States in the field of safety and health at work, including information on training programmes. The Agency will promote harmonisation of statistics on work-related accidents and illnesses in order to eliminate existing disparities when evaluating and analysing them.

The Member States will regularly inform the Agency of the main components of their national health and safety at work information networks, including any institution which in their judgement could contribute to the work of the Agency, taking into account the need to ensure the fullest possible coverage of their territory.

Finally, the Bureau will be composed of 11 members.

T6-0147/2005
OJ C 045 23.02.2006, p. 0015-0092 E

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Stephen HUGHES (PES, UK) making some amendments to the Commission’s proposal. (Please see the summary of 31/03/2005.) A new recital states that in order to achieve the goals set out above, the Agency needs not only to collect and disseminate information, but also to analyse information, identify risks and good practices and promote preventive action. In this respect it is important to clarify that the Agency has the role of a "risk observatory" and that it should analyse risks, in particular emerging ones, and promote preventive action. Risks to workers' family members should be included in its remit. Particular attention should also be paid to genotoxicity risks which may have consequences for the offspring of an affected worker.

In addition, the Agency will engage in the exchange of information and experience, by way of the systematic collection of data, with the support of Eurostat, amongst the Member States in the field of safety and health at work, including information on training programmes. The Agency will promote harmonisation of statistics on work-related accidents and illnesses in order to eliminate existing disparities when evaluating and analysing them.

The Member States will regularly inform the Agency of the main components of their national health and safety at work information networks, including any institution which in their judgement could contribute to the work of the Agency, taking into account the need to ensure the fullest possible coverage of their territory.

Finally, the Bureau will be composed of 11 members.

T6-0147/2005

Debate in Parliament

A6-0092/2005

A6-0092/2005

The committee adopted the report by Stephen HUGHES ( PES , UK ) broadly approving the proposal under the consultation procedure, subject to a number of mainly technical amendments. MEPs proposed various changes to provide for a system of checks and counter-checks to ensure that the activities of the Agency's main bodies are carried out efficiently. For example, they called for the Bureau to monitor the implementation of the decisions taken by the Governing Board, and for the latter to be fully informed of the activities and decisions of the Bureau. Moreover, the proposal should clearly set out the procedure and criteria for the appointment of the Director, to bring it into line with the selection procedure for the Directors of other Agencies, i.e. the Director should be appointed by the Commission (not by the Governing Board) for a renewable five-year term of office.

Other amendments were aimed at: strengthening the references to a balanced representation of men and women in the governing and management bodies of the Agency; enhancing transparency; recognising the social partners as a specific public; and including national social partners' organisations in the Agency's network with the Member States.

PE347.298

2606

09050/2004

COM(2004)0050
EUR-Lex

COM(2004)0050
EUR-Lex