2019/2182(INL) Protecting workers from asbestos
Lead committee dossier:
Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | EMPL |
VILLUMSEN Nikolaj ( GUE/NGL)
|
FRANSSEN Cindy ( EPP),
DANIELSSON Johan ( S&D),
TRILLET-LENOIR Véronique ( Renew),
MATTHIEU Sara ( Verts/ALE),
ZAMBELLI Stefania ( ID),
KOPCIŃSKA Joanna ( ECR)
|
| Committee Opinion | ENVI |
BOMPARD Manuel ( GUE/NGL)
|
Deirdre CLUNE ( PPE),
Joëlle MÉLIN ( ID),
Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR ( RE),
Cyrus ENGERER ( S&D)
|
| Committee Opinion | IMCO |
PELLETIER Anne-Sophie ( GUE/NGL)
|
Dita CHARANZOVÁ ( RE),
Beata MAZUREK ( ECR),
Leszek MILLER ( S&D)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 47, RoP 57
Legal Basis:
RoP 47, RoP 57Events
2021/10/20
EP - Decision by Parliament
Details
The European Parliament adopted by 675 votes to 2, with 23 abstentions, a resolution with recommendations to the Commission on protecting workers from asbestos.
Asbestos causes between 30 000 and 90 000 deaths per year in the EU . The most common occupational cancer is lung cancer, which accounts for between 54% and 75% of occupational cancers, with asbestos being the main cause of lung cancer (45%).
People who work in the construction and renovation of buildings, mining and waste management, fire fighters, and homeowners and tenants are at risk of exposure to asbestos. Asbestos-related diseases can take up to 40 years to develop. A peak in the number of cases in the EU is expected around 2025.
European Strategy for the Removal of All Asbestos: ESRAA
Stressing that the safe removal of asbestos is an urgent and difficult task, Parliament reiterated its call for a comprehensive European strategy for the Removal of All Asbestos (ESRAA) in the EU, using synergies from several policy areas and giving top priority to safe working conditions.
Members suggested that EU structural and investment funds should be mobilised to improve the reliability and speed of asbestos diagnostics and the safe removal and management of waste. EU funds allocated under the building renovation wave should be reserved for beneficiaries who comply with EU and national regulations to protect workers from asbestos.
In addition, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) should be strengthened to provide scientific and technical support to improve prevention actions, to better monitor the identification of workplaces containing asbestos as well as the workers who have been exposed to it.
The resolution provides recommendations for several key elements that should be included in a ESRAA:
(1) A European framework directive for national asbestos removal strategies
Parliament called on the Commission to present a proposal for a framework directive for Member States to set up national asbestos removal plans that include clear and realistic timelines , including priorities and interim targets, detection and registration of asbestos, financing and support to homeowners and SMEs, protection measures for workers against the risk of asbestos exposure as well as the safe disposal of asbestos in order to prevent asbestos from entering into recycling processes.
Reiterating its call for national public asbestos registers , Parliament asked the Commission to introduce, in the context of a proposal for a framework directive, minimum standards for publicly accessible national digital registers on asbestos and other hazardous substances in public and privately owned buildings.
(2) Update of Directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work
Parliament called on the Commission to update Directive 2009/148/EC in the light of the latest scientific knowledge and technical developments, with a view to strengthening EU measures for the protection of workers against the threat of asbestos and preventing the recurrence of asbestos-related casualties during the renovation wave.
Members stressed that the safe removal and disposal of asbestos containing parts and materials is a priority. They welcomed the Commission's commitment to present a legislative proposal in 2022 to further reduce workers' exposure to asbestos and called on the Commission to update, as a matter of priority, these exposure limits, which should be set at 0.001 fibres/cm3 (1000 fibres/m3).
(3) Recognition and compensation of asbestos-related diseases
Parliament called on the Commission to update its Recommendation of 19 September 2003 concerning the European schedule of occupational diseases and to use as it as the essential basis for drawing up a proposal for a directive on: (i) the recognition of work-related diseases, including all known asbestos-related diseases, with minimum standards for recognition procedures, and (ii) minimum standards for compensation for victims of asbestos-related occupational diseases.
This new directive should include elements such as a reversal of the burden of proof in recognition procedures, the establishment of national one-stop shops for all matters concerning occupational diseases, as well as ombudsmen to assist the workers concerned in recognition procedures.
(4) Asbestos screening prior to energy renovation works and selling or renting out a building
Parliament called on the Commission to present a proposal for an amendment to Directive 2010/31/EU in the context of the Renovation Wave introducing a requirement for the mandatory asbestos screening, registering, and removal of asbestos and other dangerous substances before any renovation works can start to protect workers' health and safety.
The Commission should present a legislative proposal for the mandatory screening of buildings before sale or rent and for the establishment of asbestos certificates for buildings constructed before 2005 or before the year of an equivalent national asbestos ban, whichever the earlier. Protective measures should be adopted for tenants where asbestos is found prior to energy renovation works. Screening and removal expenses should not be payable by the tenants.
Documents
2021/10/18
EP - Debate in Parliament
Documents
2021/10/01
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details
The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report by Nikolaj VILLUMSEN (GUE/NGL, DK) with recommendations to the Commission on protecting workers from asbestos.
Asbestos causes between 30 000 and 90 000 deaths per year in the EU. The most common occupational cancer is lung cancer, constituting between 54 % and 75 % of occupational cancers, whereas asbestos is the main cause of lung cancer (45 %). Exposure to asbestos combined with tobacco use considerably increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Moreover, asbestos is still largely present in buildings and infrastructure built before 2005 when the EU finally banned asbestos. The exposure occurs still among the EU workforce, especially - though not only - in the construction sector.
European Strategy for the Removal of All Asbestos (ESRAA)
Members stressed that the safe removal of asbestos is a difficult and urgent task. Comprehensive removal strategies will entail financial and administrative consequences for building owners, public authorities and businesses, in particular SMEs, including microenterprises, as well as a significant workload for the certifying bodies.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EUOSHA) should be strengthened in order to provide effective tools such as technical and scientific support for improving prevention efforts, to better monitor the registration of workplaces containing asbestos and the tracking of workers who have or might have been in contact with it, to improve training and protective equipment provided to workers. Members called for the establishment of a European platform, within the remit of EU-OSHA, to showcase good practices on the removal of asbestos and safe disposal of asbestos, which have already been implemented in several Member States, and to provide for the exchange of such good practices.
The report suggested that there is an urgent need for an effective access to justice and redress for all health damage, not only that relating to anxiety, for all asbestos victims. It underlined that all medical costs related to asbestos exposure should be covered by the employers . The Commission is called on to assess the possible need for legislation establishing a for diffuse pollution to provide compensation to victims for all damages from diffuse pollution, including that caused by asbestos.
A European framework directive for national asbestos removal strategies
While welcoming the Commission communication of 14 October 2020 entitled ‘A Renovation Wave for Europe’- greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives’, which seeks to renovate 35 million buildings by 2030, the report stressed that particular attention should be paid to protecting workers renovating old buildings and intervening in emergency operations from exposure to asbestos.
A European framework directive for national asbestos removal strategies, including the assessment of existing asbestos in the built environment, clear timelines and milestones for its safe removal, minimum standards for public digital asbestos registries mapping all existing asbestos in a country or region, public information campaigns and a financial framework for the support of building owners, the safe and documented disposal of asbestos waste, and proper controls and enforcement measures such as reinforced labour inspections, should set the framework for an ESRAA.
Asbestos registries should be accessible for workers and companies, owners, inhabitants, and users of buildings and regularly updated. Asbestos registration in the built environment is an important element also for the circular economy and waste strategy, for which the identification, registration, and documented disposal of hazardous materials is central.
Recognition and compensation of asbestos-related diseases
Member States are called on to facilitate recognition procedures by reversing the burden of proof, especially if national registers for asbestos workers were set up only recently, and to establish adequate compensation for workers suffering from asbestos related diseases. The Commission should present a proposal for a directive laying down Union minimum standards for the recognition and compensation of occupational diseases, including asbestos-related diseases. The Commission should also put forward a proposal for the Member States to establish a national function or an ombudsperson to assist victims of occupational diseases.
Member States are called on to facilitate the recognition of and compensation for documented victims of second-hand exposure through non-occupational contact with asbestos. The report stressed that the polluter must pay principle should be taken into account in the attribution of the cost of asbestos removal as far as possible.
Asbestos screening prior to energy renovation works and selling or renting out a building
The Commission should present a legislative proposal for the mandatory screening of buildings before sale or rent and for the establishment of asbestos certificates for buildings constructed before 2005 or before the year of an equivalent national asbestos ban, whichever the earlier. Protective measures should be adopted for tenants where asbestos is found prior to energy renovation works. Screening and removal expenses should not be payable by the tenants.
The EU as a global leader against asbestos
The EU is called on to work with international organisations to pioneer instruments to label the asbestos market as a toxic trade. It should integrate the fight against asbestos and asbestos-related diseases into its external policies.
Documents
2021/09/27
EP - Vote in committee
2021/09/02
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2021/07/27
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2021/05/05
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/04/29
EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
2021/04/26
EP - BOMPARD Manuel (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2021/03/25
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/02/23
EP - PELLETIER Anne-Sophie (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in IMCO
2020/01/31
EP - VILLUMSEN Nikolaj (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in EMPL
2019/12/19
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
Documents
- Decision by Parliament: T9-0427/2021
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A9-0275/2021
- Committee opinion: PE691.081
- Committee opinion: PE691.447
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE691.469
- Committee draft report: PE689.800
- Committee draft report: PE689.800
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE691.469
- Committee opinion: PE691.447
- Committee opinion: PE691.081
Activities
- Nikolaj VILLUMSEN
Plenary Speeches (2)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Fabio Massimo CASTALDO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Angelo CIOCCA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Agnes JONGERIUS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Manuel BOMPARD
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- José GUSMÃO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Anne-Sophie PELLETIER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Joanna KOPCIŃSKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Guido REIL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Stefania ZAMBELLI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Leszek MILLER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
- Cindy FRANSSEN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/10/18 Protecting workers from asbestos (debate)
Votes
Protection des travailleurs contre l’amiante - Protecting workers from asbestos - Schutz von Arbeitnehmern vor Asbest- A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 3, point e - Am 1 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 390, -: 285, 0: 24
NI
The LeftA9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 9 - Am 3 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 404, -: 284, 0: 11
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 15 - Am 4 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: -: 414, +: 224, 0: 61
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 24 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 448, -: 235, 0: 16
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 25 - Am 5 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 337, -: 295, 0: 67
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 50/1 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 662, -: 24, 0: 12
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 50/2 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 425, -: 196, 0: 77
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - § 54 - Am 2 #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 405, -: 284, 0: 10
A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - Considérant S #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 357, -: 211, 0: 131
Protection des travailleurs contre l’amiante - Protecting workers from asbestos - Schutz von Arbeitnehmern vor Asbest - A9-0275/2021 - Nikolaj Villumsen - Proposition de résolution (ensemble du texte) #
2021/10/19 Outcome: +: 675, 0: 23, -: 2
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 407 |
2019/2182(INL)
2021/04/05
EMPL
208 amendments...
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas exposure to asbestos combined with tobacco use increases considerably the risk to develop lung cancer;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 d (new) 12d. Notes that optical microscopy is not the latest available technology to count asbestos fibres in the breathing air and that Analytical Transmission Electron Microscopy (ATEM) is more sensitive and makes it possible to distinguish and count asbestos fibres; calls for the use, wherever possible, of ATEM or similarly advanced methods for fibre counting;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Notes that the current Union minimum standard for the asbestos OELV is 100 000 fibres per m3 (0,1 fibres/cm3); highlights that some Member States apply much lower OELVs to protect the health of workers, for example an OELV of 2 000 fibres/m3 (0,002) in the Netherlands
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Notes that the current Union minimum standard for the asbestos OELV is 100 000 fibres per m3 (0,1 fibres/cm3); highlights that some Member States apply much lower OELVs to protect the health of workers, for example an OELV of 2 000 fibres/m3 (0,002) in the Netherlands; highlights that other Member States, like Sweden, apply the current minimum standard;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Underlines that leading medical researchers from the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH) conclude that exposure limits do not protect properly against cancer and propose an occupational limit value of 1 000 fibres/m3 (0,001 fibres/cm3); calls for an updated exposure limit to be set at 0,001 fibres/cm3 (1 000 fibres/m3); stresses the need for a sufficiently long transition period to implement the new methodology and new exposure values;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Underlines that leading medical researchers from the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH) conclude that exposure limits do not protect properly against cancer and propose an occupational limit value of 1 000 fibres/m3 (0,001 fibres/cm3); calls
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Underlines that leading medical researchers from the International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH) conclude that exposure limits do not protect properly against cancer and propose an occupational limit value of 1 000 fibres/m3 (0,001 fibres/cm3);
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Emphasises that Directive 2009/148/EC applies to all activities in which workers are or may be exposed in the course of their work to dust arising from asbestos or materials containing asbestos; calls for stronger provisions ensuring the protection of all workers at asbestos removal sites, including workers entering a worksite post removal; calls for a stronger emphasis on the need to include all at-risk professions, including renovation and demolition workers, waste managers, miners and firefighters, in the national implementation of that Directive;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Emphasises that
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Emphasises that employers, but also main contractors, contracting authorities, and owners commissioning work should be required to carry out an asbestos diagnosis before the start of any work in buildings, ships, aircraft, on equipment, or products; demands that prior to the start of work on premises that were built before 2005 or the national asbestos ban a comprehensive screening for the presence of asbestos-containing materials be carried out by a qualified and certified operator; believes that screenings should always include a diagnosis adapted to the specific workplace and a report should state either the absence or the presence of asbestos, with a detailed description of the nature of contamination and its precise location and estimated quantities;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Emphasises that employers, but also main contractors, contracting authorities, and owners commissioning
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Insists on the need to ensure the availability of adequate waste facilities for the safe and sustainable disposal of asbestos materials, located in the vicinity of construction sites;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Is concerned that training requirements and the certification of training carried out still vary greatly among Member States, which is a severe hazard for health and safety in the context of the cross-border mobility of workers; calls for a new annex to Directive 2009/148/EC with obligatory minimum requirements for
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Calls for the strengthening of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, in order to improve prevention efforts, to better monitor the registration of workplaces containing asbestos and the tracking of workers who have or might have been in contact with it, to improve training and protective equipment provided to workers and facilitate support to victims of work-related and in particular, asbestos-related diseases;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 b (new) 16b. Recalls that the synergistic effect of smoking and asbestos exposure considerably increases the risk of developing lung cancer; calls on Member States to propose a smoking cessation program to all workers exposed to asbestos;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Calls on the Commission to make a proposal for the establishment of national ombudspersons to assist victims of occupational diseases, and especially asbestos-related diseases which have a long latency period, in recognition procedures;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Insists on the need to consult associations representing asbestos victims and their relatives with a view to facilitate and simplify recognition procedures;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Points out that asbestos-related diseases are a cross-border challenge due to free movement, thereby particularly taking into consideration the role of mobile workers in this regard; recalls that occupational diseases and workplace- related health risks are always linked to a specific profession, working activity, workplace and time; calls on the Commission to present, after consulting the social partners, a proposal for a Directive on the basis of Article 153(1)(a) and (b) TFEU laying down Union minimum standards for the recognition and compensation of occupational diseases, including asbestos-
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Calls for increased funding to compensate victims of asbestos-related diseases, to ensure sufficient coverage of the direct, indirect and human costs of the illness; calls on Member States to facilitate recognition and compensation for documented victims of second hand exposure through non-professional contact with asbestos and draw on best practices from Member States such as Denmark;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 b (new) 19b. Calls on the Member States to support the establishment of associations for the victims of asbestos-related diseases and their families;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 c (new) 19c. Calls for improved both public and targeted awareness-raising campaigns on the risks linked to exposure to asbestos but also secondary and environmental exposure, as well as for the larger availability of simplified and understandable information, particularly for posted, mobile, cross-border and seasonal workers;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas increased cancer risks have been observed in populations exposed to very low levels of asbestos fibres, including chrysotile fibres;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 d (new) 19d. Calls for a better evaluation of the risks linked to secondary exposure, particularly for family members living with asbestos workers;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 e (new) 19e. Calls for the mainstreaming of gender perspective throughout all legislative and non-legislative instruments and their respective implementation in the Member States, to ensure that no gender bias impacts tracking, identification, treatment or the consideration of a disease or death as asbestos-related, having therefore also an impact on the compensation for victims; reiterates the gender perspective of second-hand exposure;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 f (new) 19f. Calls for a better recognition of the importance of taking account of gender differences in occupational health and safety;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 g (new) 19g. Calls for a consideration of persons, and especially women, in cleaning jobs, as well as of women who primarily take responsibility for unpaid household chores, which might be carried out with cleaning products containing asbestos, in risk assessments and identification of exposure to asbestos, as well as for an increased consideration of cleaning activities as risk factors when screening for diseases;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 h (new) 19h. Calls for an increased consideration of cleaning activities as risk factors when diagnosing diseases and for better risk assessments and identification of exposure to asbestos for cleaning workers, especially female workers, as well as of women who primarily take responsibility for unpaid household chores;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 i (new) 19i. Calls for a localised approach to the prevention, register, screening, tracking and treatment of asbestos-related diseases, to respond to the health impact that asbestos-containing materials can have on neighbours of industries that used them and/or on whole residential settings;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Insists that the transition toward a European Union free of asbestos should be socially fair and include support for private owners and SMEs;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission to present a proposal for an amendment to Article 7 of Directive 2010/31/EU in the context of “A Renovation Wave for Europe” introducing a requirement for the mandatory asbestos screening, registering, and removal of asbestos and other dangerous substances before any renovation works can start, including financial support mechanisms which provide for a requirement to ensure that renovation works are subject to the safe removal of asbestos, in particular for low- income households;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission to present a proposal for an amendment to Article 7 of Directive 2010/31/EU in the context of “A Renovation Wave for Europe”
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal for the mandatory screening of buildings before sale or rent and for the establishment of asbestos certificates for buildings constructed before 2005 or the year of the national asbestos ban;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D b (new) Db. whereas many different groups are at risk of exposure to asbestos, including workers in the building and renovation sector, mining, waste management, firefighters, as well as home-owners and renters;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal for the mandatory screening of buildings before sale or rent and for the establishment of asbestos
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Calls on the Member States to adopt protective measures for tenants where asbestos is found prior to energy renovation works; emphasizes that all tenants should be protected from carrying the expenses when it comes to the screening as well as the removal of asbestos; calls on Member States to make sure that tenants receive full disclosure on asbestos in buildings;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 b (new) 22b. Calls on the EU to work with international organisations to pioneer instruments to label the asbestos market as a toxic trade;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 c (new) 22c. Calls on the EU to make the listing of chrysotile in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention a top priority;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 d (new) 22d. Underlines that the EU should further insist on a global ban on asbestos, prohibit the trading of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials and products via European ports, and strictly prohibit and monitor the import of such products into the EU internal market; welcomes the Council Conclusions of 12 March 2021 emphasising the need to strengthen national market surveillance capabilities and the role of the customs authorities; calls on the Member States to strengthen controls and market surveillance and to cooperate with other Member States’ border and customs authorities to prevent the entry of illegal asbestos-containing construction materials into the single market;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 e (new) 22e. Calls on the EU to integrate the fight against asbestos and asbestos-related diseases into EU partnership and development policy; calls on the EU to integrate the fight against asbestos and asbestos-related diseases into EU neighbourhood policy;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 f (new) 22f. Calls on the EU to address the unacceptable dumping of asbestos on developing countries at forums where trade agreements are being discussed, in particular at the World Trade Organization, and to exert diplomatic and financial pressure to ensure a global asbestos ban, to stop the illegal and unethical practice of exporting end-of-life ships containing asbestos and ensure high standards for the protection of workers against asbestos exposure at EU approved ship recycling facilities;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 g (new) 22g. Calls on the EU to increase its support, including financial, for global actors working against asbestos and asbestos-related diseases, including the World Health Organisation;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 h (new) 22h. Condemns European financial investment in global asbestos industries;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 i (new) 22i. Calls on the Commission to ensure that vessels carrying asbestos as cargo in transit can neither dock nor use port facilities or temporary storage within the EU;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas the most harmful health effects of inhaled asbestos fibres appear decades after exposure;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23a. Welcomes the Commission’s efforts to promote and further enhance the circular economy in the construction sector and to invest in the renovation of buildings and infrastructure to improve quality, sustainability and energy efficiency;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 b (new) 23b. Calls for an EU-level plan for the total removal of asbestos from buildings, seizing the opportunities that the Renovation Wave and energy efficiency renovation offer to make housing stock healthier for all;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 c (new) 23c. Calls on the Commission to establish a European platform for the showcase and the exchange of good practices on removal of asbestos as well as on safe disposal, that have already been put into practice in several Member States;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 2 (2) A timeline for asbestos removal,
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 2 (2) A timeline for asbestos removal, including possible priorities (such as schools,
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 2 (2) A timeline for asbestos removal, including possible priorities (such as schools, gyms, healthcare facilities or social housing), milestones, and regular evaluations of the progress made at least every 5 years;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 3 (3) A financial framework,
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 3 (3) A financial framework, including the possible use of Union funds, for the support of building owners and linking the removal of asbestos to other public policies and programmes (such as energy efficiency, improvements of the living environment, social housing, health prevention) for reasons of efficiency and the use of synergies;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 3 (3) A financial framework, including the possible use of Union funds, for the support of building owners and the mandatory linking of the removal of asbestos to other public policies and programmes (such as energy efficiency, improvements of the living environment, social housing) for reasons of efficiency and the use of synergies;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point a (a) accessibility for workers and companies working in a building or infrastructure, owners, inhabitants, firefighters and other emergency services and users;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas in some Member States, despite existing regulations, asbestos- related diseases are
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point a (a) public accessibility, including for workers and companies working in a building or infrastructure, owners, inhabitants, emergency services and users;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point a (a) accessibility for workers and companies working in a building or infrastructure, owners, inhabitants, firefighters and users;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point b (b) the year of construction of the building or infrastructure concerned
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point d (d) the specific location of harmful substances and
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point d a (new) (da) an indication of where work will be or has been performed (inside/outside) as well as the part of the building (floors, walls, ceilings, roofs) or infrastructure;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 6 (6) A plan for the safe, monitored, and documented disposal of asbestos containing waste in accordance with the principle of zero asbestos contamination into waste cycles, that prevents obstructions to the reuse of construction materials and ensures the maximum protection of workers in the field of the circular economy;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 6 a (new) (6a) A solution for the entire separation of waste cycles and an environmentally safe storage of asbestos waste according to the best available, and most recent technologies;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 7 (7) A strategy for the control and enforcement of the measures foreseen, including awareness-raising campaigns, accompanying measures for SMEs, inspections and effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties in the event of non-compliance;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 8 (8) The close involvement of the social partners and other relevant stakeholders such as asbestos victims associations, national prevention institutions for occupational health and safety, in the transposition, implementation and
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point -1 b (new) -1b. The following recital is inserted into the amending directive: ‘(XX) The provisions of this Directive apply to all activities in which workers are or may be exposed to asbestos dust. There is a need to develop sector specific responses to protect workers from exposure to asbestos dust, including but not limited to activities in the renovation and demolition sector, waste management, mining and firefighting.’
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas despite existing regulations, many cases of asbestos-related diseases are
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b – paragraph 2 – point e (e) the starting date
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b – paragraph 2 – point j a (new) (ja) a strategy for waste disposal, including destination of asbestos- containing waste.
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b a (new) (ba) paragraph 6 is inserted: ‘Notifications shall be stored by the responsible authority of the Member State in accordance with national laws and/or practice for a minimum period of 40 years.’
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 3 – paragraph 2 Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 3 – paragraph 2 Asbestos containing parts and materials already in use shall be removed and disposed of safely and not be repaired
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 5 – point d a (new) Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 7 – paragraph 1 1. Where the limit value laid down in Article 8 is exceeded or there is reason to believe asbestos-containing materials have been disturbed so as to generate dust, work must stop immediately. The reasons for the limit being exceeded must be identified and appropriate measures to remedy the situation must be taken as soon as possible.
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 8 – paragraph 1 Before beginning demolition or maintenance work, or renovation works on premises built before 2005 or equivalent national asbestos bans, the premise must be screened to identify all asbestos- containing materials, in accordance with the requirements of Part 6 of Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 305/2011. The screening must be conducted by a
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 8 – paragraph 1 Before beginning demolition or maintenance work, or renovation works on premises built before 2005, the premise must be screened to identify all asbestos- containing materials, in accordance with the requirements of Part 6 of Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 305/2011. The screening must be conducted by a qualified and certified operator or authority, taking into account Articles 14 and 15 of this Directive, and the national building law provisions.
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 8 – paragraph 2 The Member States shall regulate the details of explorations and investigations for the detection of asbestos-containing
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas asbestos is long recognised as a key occupational carcinogen and airborne fibres are very resistant when inhaled and can lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma, cancers of the lung, larynx, and ovary and other non- malignant lung and pleural disorders, including pleural plaques, pleural thickening, and benign pleural effusions;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 9 – paragraph 1 In the case of certain activities such as demolition or asbestos removal work, in respect of which it is foreseeable that the limit value set out in Article 8 will be exceeded despite the use of all possible technical preventive measures for limiting asbestos in air concentrations, the employer shall determine the measures intended to ensure protection of the workers while they are engaged in such activities, in particular the following:
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 9 a (new) Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 9 b (new) 9b. In Article 12, point (ca) is inserted: ‘(ca) a measurement of asbestos fibre concentration in the air shall be carried out after the above activities are finalised to ensure workers can safely re-enter the workplace.’
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 12 – paragraph 1 1. Undertakings which intend to carry out demolition or asbestos removal work shall be required to obtain before the start of work a renewable
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 12 – paragraph 3 3. Member States shall establish public registers of the undertakings authorised to remove asbestos under paragraph 1.
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 13 – paragraph 1 – point ca (ca) regular compulsory breaks and with sufficient time for regeneration for must be foreseen for workers wearing
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 15 a (new) Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 17 – paragraph 1 1. Member States shall keep a register of all
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 17 – paragraph 2 2. The term “
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 17 – paragraph 3 3.
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F b (new) Fb. whereas trade unions and victims support groups play an important role in assisting victims of occupational diseases in recognition procedures and compensation claims;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 17 a (new) 17a. Article 21a is inserted: ‘Article 21a In case of a fire, all existing information regarding the presence and location of asbestos, gathered and communicated in line with Article 4 on notification before commenced work and Article 11 on screening of demolition or maintenance sites, shall be made available to firefighters and emergency services.’
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 17 b (new) 17b. Article 21b is inserted: ‘Article 21b In case of a fire, all existing information regarding the presence and location of asbestos shall be shared with firefighters.’
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 a – paragraph 3 3. The training shall be provided by a qualified and certified institution and instructor, in accordance with national law; certification of training providers shall be carried out by a Member State authority or recognised competent body in accordance with national laws and/or practices;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 a – paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Each worker has to pass a mandatory test, resulting in the delivery of a certificate in order to ensure that these workers have the required skills and knowledge to safely do their work;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 a – paragraph 4 – point c a (new) (ca) the language of the training;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 a – paragraph 4 – point d a (new) (da) the confirmation that the worker passed the test;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 a – paragraph 5 – point b (b) the properties of asbestos and its effects on health, including the synergistic effect of smoking, as well as the risks linked to secondary and environmental exposure;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 b – introductory part Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 b – indent 6 Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 b – indent 7 Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas the management of asbestos in buildings and its’ safe removal requires the full consideration of health and safety at work
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 b – indent 7 -
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 b – indent 8 Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution Annex II – paragraph 1 – point 18 – Annex 1 b – indent 8 Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution Annex III – paragraph 1 – point 1 (1) a list of occupational diseases, due to first or second-hand exposure to asbestos, liable for compensation and subject to preventive measures which shall be recognised by the Member States and be without prejudice to more favourable national law, building on Commission Recommendation of 19 September 2003 concerning the European schedule of occupational diseases, and updated according to the latest available scientific knowledge;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution Annex III – paragraph 1 – point 3 (3) the establishment of national ombudspersons or independent advice services to assist victims of occupational diseases in recognition procedures as well as increasing support for and exchange of best practices with, inter alia, trade unions and victim support groups with regard to recognition procedures;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution Annex III – paragraph 1 – point 4 (4) a revision of the burden of proof for the recognition of occupational diseases or at least its effective simplification, for example by providing that where asbestos exposure in the workplace can be reasonably established, a link between exposure and subsequent symptoms can be presumed;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution Annex III – paragraph 1 – point 4 (4) a rev
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution Annex IV – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – subparagraph 8 Member States shall make it mandatory to screen buildings for asbestos and other hazardous materials
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution Annex IV – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – subparagraph 8 a (new) Member States shall establish public financial support mechanisms for house owners, which provide for a requirement to ensure that renovation works are subject to the safe removal of asbestos.
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 1 (1) an obligation for owners of buildings (public and private) constructed before 2005 or the year of the national asbestos ban to commission a screening of the building to locate and identify
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas building renovation to increase energy efficiency often involves handling materials such as roofs, walls or electric settings that might contain asbestos when their construction precedes regulations and bans;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 2 (2) screenings shall be carried out by qualified and certified operators only, in accordance with Directive 2009/148/EC, national law and practice, and under the supervision of a competent national body; a list of certified operators shall be made available by the competent national body;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 3 (3) the certified operator shall communicate the results of the screening to the owner in a certificate which should be reported to a competent national body (a one-stop shop)
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 3 (3) the result of the screening should be
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 4 (4) the asbestos certificates shall contain the result of the screening, including a list of the types of asbestos containing materials found, their exact location, their current state of conservation together with a notification of the work and surveillance required to avoid damage to the health of occupants and a concept for the safe removal;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 4 (4) the asbestos certificates shall contain the result of the screening, including a list of the types of asbestos
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 4 a (new) (4a) when the result of exploration and investigations cannot exclude the presence of asbestos in a material, the certificate shall state that the presence of asbestos is possible;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 4 b (new) (4b) a certificate specifying the presence of asbestos containing materials shall have a maximum validity period of three years;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 4 c (new) (4c) the certificate shall be annexed to the sale agreement and shall be made available to the tenants;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution Annex V – paragraph 1 – point 7 (7)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G b (new) Gb. whereas growing environmental exposure due to the deterioration of building stock in Europe leads to more cases of mesothelioma; whereas the health effects of environmental exposure have been largely under-estimated;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G c (new) Gc. whereas delivering asbestos waste to landfills is only a temporary solution to the problem and risks of releasing asbestos fibres into the environment should be avoided;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G d (new) Gd. whereas creating landfills for asbestos waste is only a temporary solution to the problem, which in this way is left to be dealt with by future generations, as asbestos fibres are virtually indestructible overtime; whereas there is a need for the development of cost-effective methods for the inertisation of waste containing asbestos, to deactivate active asbestos fibres and convert them into materials that do not pose public health risks;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G e (new) Ge. whereas a requirement for the asbestos certification of buildings exists in several Member States and a public asbestos register exists in Poland;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas the existing binding
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas according to ECHA, asbestos is a non-threshold carcinogen;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H b (new) Hb. whereas asbestos is a highly dangerous carcinogenic agent used worldwide in building and other materials in many areas of our daily life;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H c (new) Hc. whereas improving early diagnosis, treatments and rehabilitation are priorities of the EU Beating Cancer Plan and should benefit patients suffering from asbestos related diseases;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H d (new) Hd. whereas the lack of affordable real-time alert and measurement technology for asbestos fibre concentrations hinders the effective protection of workers; whereas the EU has played a role in funding research and development of real-time asbestos alert and detection technology in the past; whereas legislative requirements should keep pace with technological development in the field of real-time asbestos alert and measurement in order to ensure high levels of protection of workers from asbestos;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 12 Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas 80 % of occupational cancers recognised in the Member States are asbestos related; whereas estimates suggest that the cost of occupational cancer in the Union accounts for between EUR 270 and EUR 610 billion per year, or 1,8% to 4,1 % of GDP, and whereas 98 % of the human costs, including the impact on life quality and workers’ families, are endured by workers
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas estimates suggest that the cost of occupational cancer in the Union accounts for between EUR 270 and EUR 610 billion per year, or 1,8% to 4,1 % of GDP, and whereas 98 % of the human costs, including the impact on life quality and workers’ families, are endured by workers, and whereas direct and indirect costs account for between EUR 4 and EUR 10 billion per year; whereas actions to enhance prevention are therefore major public health investments for healthier lives but also for the cost/benefits balance in the management of healthcare systems;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I a (new) Ia. whereas Parliament’s resolution of 21 January 2021 on access to decent and affordable housing for all1a called on the Member States to ensure that the right to adequate, decent and healthy housing is recognised and enforceable as a fundamental human right through applicable European and national legislative provisions; ______________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0020.
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I b (new) Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I c (new) Ic. whereas no EU funds should be made available to companies that do not comply with EU and national regulations aiming to protect workers from asbestos;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I d (new) Id. whereas the World Health Organization has identified housing as a key sector for actions to tackle health inequalities;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I e (new) Ie. whereas the mandatory removal of asbestos will contribute to quality housing for all, in particular for low-income owners and renters whose housing conditions have deteriorated in recent decades; whereas financial support for low income families is key;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I f (new) If. whereas the removal of asbestos places a financial burden on building owners; whereas the introduction of requirements for the safe removal of asbestos must be socially fair and must be accompanied by appropriate measures to support owners to finance the needed renovations, as well as accompanying measures for SMEs conducting works;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas the Commission communication of 3 February 2021 entitled ’Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’ states that 52 % of annual occupational deaths in the Union can be attributed to work-related cancers, and whereas the Commission envisages presenting a legislative proposal in 2022 to further reduce worker exposure to asbestos as part of its plan;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 13 Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L a (new) La. whereas the Pillar was adopted as a response to social challenges in the Union; whereas principle 10 calls for a high level of protection of workers’ health and safety at work, which should include the protection of workers from exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at the workplace;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L b (new) Lb. whereas, given its hazardous nature, asbestos remains one of the most difficult elements to dispose of and clean up, requiring a costly economic effort; whereas, furthermore, there is a shortage of suitable disposal sites and it is important to have staff trained in asbestos disposal who have all the necessary equipment for handling this material;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L c (new) Lc. whereas enforcement, including effective inspection, is key to ensuring compliance with rules and regulations on identification and safe removal of asbestos in buildings; whereas labour inspectorates, trade unions and workplace health and safety representatives play a key role in effective inspection and enforcement of asbestos-related rules and regulations;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L d (new) Ld. whereas dissuasive sanctions are key in deterring infringement of regulations on occupational health and safety at work and ensuring fair competition on the internal market;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L e (new) Le. whereas research and innovation should be fostered to improve asbestos screening, identification of other asbestos- related cancers than lung cancer and mesotheliomas, safe removal techniques, waste management and the safety of exposed workers and occupants of buildings;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L f (new) Lf. whereas the Covid-19 pandemic has rendered evident the need to ensure the safety and protection of workers, and whereas it has highlighted the importance of preventing work-related diseases and investing in public health;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L g (new) Lg. whereas the Covid-19 pandemic has stressed once again the importance of ensuring the health and safety of workers; whereas the crisis has highlighted the importance of preventing work-related diseases and investing in affordable public health for all;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L h (new) Lh. whereas the built environment has a significant impact on many sectors of the economy, on local jobs and quality of life;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L i (new) Li. whereas the new sustainable built environment strategy from the Commission aims to increase material efficiency, to reduce the climate impacts of the built environment, and to promote circularity principles throughout the life cycle of buildings; whereas the strategy is expected to ensure consistency across related policy areas, such as climate, energy, the management of construction and demolition waste, and digitalisation;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L j (new) Lj. whereas the Circular Economy Action Plan involves focused initiatives to address key product value chains such as construction and buildings;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 20 a (new) — having regard to its resolution of 10 July 2020 on the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability1a, _______________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0201.
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L k (new) Lk. whereas asbestos and asbestos- containing materials and products are still produced, processed, and exported worldwide, among others in Russia, as well as several Asian and Southern American countries; whereas Regulation (EU) No 649/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council1a establishes the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC), whereby a country’s specific agreement is required before exporting a product containing toxic chemicals; whereas strengthening efforts to keep non-compliant products from being placed on the Union market was identified as a priority in the Commission communication of 28 October 2015 on ‘Upgrading the Single Market: more opportunities for people and business’ (COM(2015)0550); whereas existing market surveillance is unable to ensure that asbestos is not imported into European markets; and whereas, despite negative recommendations, surveillance is not able to ensure that asbestos is not imported into the Union; _____________ 1aRegulation (EU) No 649/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 concerning the export and import of hazardous chemicals (recast) (OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, p. 60).
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L l (new) Ll. whereas asbestos is still legally sold and marketed in over 100 countries worldwide, including countries in the eastern and southern EU neighbourhood regions; whereas recurring scandals show that asbestos still illegally enters the EU Single Market; whereas as long as asbestos is legally produced and marketed globally, there is always a risk it will enter the EU Single Market;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L m (new) Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L n (new) Ln. whereas the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 18 February 2015 on Freeing the EU from Asbestos (CCMI/130) states that it should be ensured that at Member State level all cases of asbestosis, mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are registered by means of systematic data collection on occupational and non- occupational asbestos diseases, that pleural plaques are categorised and officially registered as an asbestos-related disease, that reliable mapping of asbestos presence is ensured, with the assistance of dedicated observatories, and that medical staff should receive appropriate training so they can perform their duty of sound diagnosis;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L o (new) Lo. whereas robust registries of people with past and/or current exposure to asbestos are important to ensure medical surveillance and to facilitate the recognition of occupational diseases;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L p (new) Lp. whereas Member States have different ways of organising national social insurance schemes with regard to work-related injury or disease, including the complementary role of collective agreements; whereas the principles underlying such schemes and the autonomy of the social partners need to be respected;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L q (new) Lq. whereas the European Skills Agenda for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience acknowledges that the construction sector will need to invest in upskilling to cater to the needs of the green transition, with regard to green design and materials, energy efficiency, circularity and renovation; whereas the availability of skilled construction workers is key to the success of the European Green Deal’s Renovation Wave;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to present a legal proposal to further reduce workers exposure to asbestos in 2022;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Points out that the safe removal of asbestos is directly connected to the following recent and upcoming Union policy initiatives: the new Union framework for health and safety, the Green Deal with the Renovation Wave,
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Points out that the safe removal of asbestos is an example of the need to apply the principle of Health in all policies, as it is directly connected to the following recent and upcoming Union policy initiatives: the new Union framework for health and safety, the Green Deal with the Renovation Wave, Next Generation EU and the Multiannual Financial Framework, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EU waste strategy and the circular economy package;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 29 a (new) — having regard to the report entitled ‘Conquering Cancer - Mission Possible’ within the framework of Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027),
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Notes that asbestos is very dangerous to remove and there are cases where it is better not to remove asbestos, since undamaged asbestos is virtually safe;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Points out that the Green Deal with the Renovation Wave should not be rushed and not lead to the unsafe removal of asbestos;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that the safe removal of asbestos is a
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 – point e a (new) (ea) Notes that the initiatives presented as part of this strategy will entail significant financial and administrative burdens both for public authorities and for businesses, especially SMEs; stresses, therefore, that this needs to be taken into account by providing adequate support and introducing appropriate transition periods;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 – point e a (new) (ea) a risk assessment that considers the risks involved for the worker regarding the removal of asbestos versus the risk of keeping it intact;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 – point e a (new) (ea) a concerted initiative with the Member States to support small, medium- sized and micro enterprises in reducing the economic costs of training workers and providing them with the protective material and equipment needed to handle this material;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 – point e b (new) (eb) the implementation of European calls for tender for renovation and construction aimed at asbestos removal and disposal;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Calls for the mobilisation of European funds for the development and commercialisation of occupational health and safety technology, including real-time measurement and alert systems for asbestos; calls for the mobilisation of European funds to support research and development of cost-effective asbestos inertisation methods and technologies;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Stresses that companies that do not comply with EU and national regulations aiming to protect workers from asbestos should not have access to EU funding; calls for a system of penalties for the use of Union funds under the ‘Renovation Wave for Europe’ applying to beneficiaries not complying with community and national rules on the protection of workers from asbestos;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 d (new) 3d. Calls for a study mapping the size of the problem of asbestos-containing products and materials illegally imported into the Union and outlining potential measures to strengthen market surveillance to keep asbestos-containing products from being placed on the Union market;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 29 b (new) — having regard to the World Health Organisation recommendations set out in the factsheet ‘Elimination of asbestos- related diseases’ of March 2014,
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 e (new) 3e. Points out that labour inspectorates have a vital role to play in prevention and monitoring and also in helping to enhance expertise and information provision at company level; urges the Member States to increase the staffing levels and the resources available to enhance the capacity of labour inspectorates and to meet the target of one inspector for every 10,000 workers, as recommended by the International Labour Organisation, as well as to impose more severe penalties on firms that fail to comply with their obligations concerning fundamental rights (salaries, working hours and occupational safety and health); considers that penalties in such cases must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 f (new) 3f. Calls on the Member States to improve the number, frequency, and quality of the inspections; takes the view that the EU and the Member States should go well beyond the International Labour Organisation’s minimum objective of one inspector for every 10,000 workers;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Welcomes Commission communication of 14 October 2020 entitled ‘A Renovation Wave for Europe’- greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives’, which seeks to renovate 35 million buildings by 2030; shares the view expressed in the communication that particular attention should be paid to protecting workers renovating old buildings and intervening in emergency operations from exposure to asbestos;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses that better preventive measures and risk-management of asbestos-related risks require access to relevant information adapted to the needs of those directly concerned;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Insists that any Union initiative supporting energy renovation should include binding measures for the identification of buildings that contain asbestos, the combination of the related information to the databases related to energy retrofit, to lead to the safe removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Insists that any Union initiative supporting energy renovation should be socially fair and include binding measures for the protection of the health of occupants and workers, including through support for the safe removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that access to decent, affordable and healthy housing is one of the cornerstones of the Action Plan of the Pillar;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Stresses that, as the demand for asbestos-related work is likely to grow significantly with the Renovation Wave, there is a crucial need to support Research & Development in order to strengthen the protection of workers and of the environment, and to improve the reliability and speed of asbestos screening, measurement, removal, and safe waste management;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 c (new) 5c. Welcomes the fact that several Member States are pursuing ambitious plans to remove asbestos from the built environment with clear timelines, including Poland, the Netherlands and Flanders/Belgium;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 29 c (new) — having regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goal 3 on the right to good health and well-being,
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 d (new) 5d. Highlights that the waste management of asbestos is a challenge of strategic significance for the EU given the amount of asbestos still to be removed and already in landfills; calls on the Commission and Member States to use all the tools to support investments in sustainable treatment technologies, including channelling public spending through dedicated Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs); highlights that the treatments of asbestos should fully apply the precautionary principle;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Calls on the Commission to present a proposal for a framework directive for Member States to set up national asbestos removal plans that include clear and realistic timelines, including possible priorities and interim targets, detection and registration of asbestos, financing and support to homeowners and SMEs, protection measures for workers against the risk of asbestos exposure in accordance with Directive 2009/148/EC as well as the safe disposal of asbestos in order to prevent asbestos from entering into recycling processes;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Insists on the need to carry out long-term epidemiological surveillance to assess the effectiveness of the measures taken; highlights that mesothelioma is a disease whose main risk-factor is asbestos and that the number of mesotheliomas diagnosed is a relevant indicator for epidemiological surveillance; calls therefore for the declaration of mesothelioma to competent authorities to be made mandatory;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. Underlines the need to mobilise every financing mechanism available and highlights that the Commission has already made clear that Member States can allocate European Structural and Investment Funds for the handling and removal of asbestos;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Reiterates its call for national public asbestos registers; calls on the Commission to introduce, as part of a proposal for a framework directive, minimum standards for publicly accessible digital national registers for asbestos and other hazardous substances in public and privately owned buildings; stresses that registers for asbestos should be compatible with databases and registers related to energy efficiency and populated via common tools (i.e. building renovation passports);
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Insists on an environmentally safe storage of asbestos waste according to the best available, and most recent technologies in order to prevent workers and the general public from exposure to asbestos and to preserve public health;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 b (new) 8b. Calls on the Member States to adopt simple and rapid practices for the disposal of asbestos-containing waste;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 c (new) 8c. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the effectiveness and the scope of the Rotterdam Convention (as revised in 2019) by playing a role in putting an end to the blocking of chrysotile asbestos to be included in the listing of hazardous chemicals by a few European and non- European countries, and achieving as soon as possible a global ban on asbestos;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 d (new) 8d. Encourages Member States, in cooperation with local authorities, to set up regional disposal and recovery facilities;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 e (new) 8e. Recognises that one of the main problems concerning the disposal and remediation of asbestos is the high cost involved; reiterates, therefore, the importance of measures to support the detection and remediation of asbestos;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital -A (new) -A. whereas a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Calls on the Commission to update Directive 2009/148/EC with the
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Is concerned that according to the latest scientific medical research and recommendations, there is no threshold under which asbestos fibre air concentration is harmless8 ; believes in that regard that no exemptions from the protection measures of Directive 2009/148/EC can be justified under reference to the occupational exposure limit value (OELV); calls for Directive 2009/148/EC to fully reflect the principle that appropriate personal protective measures should always be taken during activities in which workers are or may be exposed in the course of their work to dust arising from asbestos or materials containing asbestos; __________________ 8 ECHA Scientific report for evaluation of limit values for asbestos at the workplace, 1 February 2021.
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Considers that the notions of friable and non-friable asbestos- containing materials should not be used to determine risk levels; believes an individual risk assessment related to the planned work process should determine the necessary and obligatory protective measures;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Insists that
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Considers that the information included in the notification to the competent authorities should be complemented with the specific areas in which the work will be conducted, the equipment used for the protection and decontamination of workers, the equipment used for waste disposal, and a provisional aeraulic balance for work carried out under confinement; believes furthermore that the notification should include a description of the procedure for the decontamination of workers and equipment, and information about durations of work processes and planned working hours as well as a list of all workers assigned to the site, the individual certificates proving their competence and the training absolved, and the dates of their mandatory medical examinations (with due regard to national data protection rules);
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Recalls the fundamental legal principle of health and safety at work that the state of the art in technology must always be applied to achieve the highest possible level of protection; calls for the strengthening of technical minimum requirements to lower the concentration of asbestos fibres in the air to the lowest level which is technically possible, including through dust suppression and the suction of dust at the source, continuous sedimentation, and means of decontamination; calls for minimum requirements for the pressure difference between asbestos enclosures and surroundings, fresh air supply and HEPA filters, ensuring sufficient and focused support to employers in transposing these protective measures, in particular SMEs and micro-enterprises, in order to avoid non-compliance;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Recalls the fundamental legal
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Insists on the need to support SMEs and facilitate their work on the implementation of regulations related to asbestos, notably through guidance on the best practices to implement; highlights that the provision of standardised processes for operations on asbestos materials would help reduce the levels of asbestos fibre dust and the costs of these operations;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 b (new) 12b. Stresses that the mandatory use of robots and other advanced technologies should be further explored, including through research and a more systematic exchange of best practices between Member States to continuously develop new standards for the protection of workers’ health and safety;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 c (new) 12c. Recalls that sampling must be representative of the personal exposure of the worker, implying that samples must be taken in representative and realistic situations of workers’ exposure to asbestos dust by repeatedly measuring in regular intervals during the specific operational phases; believes that if for whatever reason sampling cannot be done in a way representative of the personal exposure of the individual worker, all available protective measures should be applied;
source: 691.469
2021/06/03
IMCO
72 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Recital -A (new) -A. whereas the use of asbestos fibres and products containing these fibres added intentionally has been prohibited as from January 20051a __________________ 1aEU Regulation No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Recital A c (new) Ac. whereas, outside the working environment, cancers and mesothelioma linked to passive, limited exposure to asbestos are increasing continuously; whereas asbestos contamination of the indoor environment is a cause of mortality, and whereas it is difficult to lay down safety thresholds for exposure to asbestos;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas a substantial share of the existing built environment in the EU is older than 50 years and according to EU Building Stock Observatory in most EU Member States, half of the residential stock was built before 1970 when asbestos was widely used; whereas the extensive use of asbestos in construction poses a threat to many different groups of people, including home-owners, building users and occupants;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas the past extensive use of asbestos in construction can still poses a threat to building users and occupants when it is friable, which leads to the release of dust or fibres into the air where they can be inhaled or ingested by people ;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas the extensive use of asbestos in construction poses a threat to
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas the extensive use of asbestos in construction in the Union prior to its ban poses a threat to current building users and occupants;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas the
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas because of the lifespan of buildings with asbestos-containing components, the deterioration of materials, and the energy-related building renovation wave, renovation processes will be complex, posing immediate risks of exposure for persons on or near construction sites, as well as future risks for users and occupiers because of the slow asbestos-dust dispersal rate;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Recital C C. whereas
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas a mandatory screening and a detailed registration of existing asbestos in buildings should be considered a first step to ban asbestos, also taking into account the Renovation Waves Strategy that aims at doubling the renovation rate of buildings in the next ten years to increase energy and resources efficiency in the building sector while promoting circularity principles of construction materials;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the removal of asbestos places a financial burden on building owners; whereas the introduction of requirements for the safe removal of asbestos must be socially fair and must be accompanied by appropriate measures to support owners to finance the needed renovations, as well as accompanying measures for SMEs conducting works;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Recital -A a (new) -Aa. whereas Member States must ensure the complete phase-out of Asbestos fibres at the latest by 20251a __________________ 1aEU Regulation No 2016/1005 of 22 June 2016 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 as regards asbestos fibres (chrysotile)
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the legislation in force in some Member States only puts certain obligations on owners, administrators or managers of asbestos-containing buildings when they start to use the building or intend to start its demolition, and not when selling a building equipped with asbestos-containing products;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Recital C b (new) Cb. whereas the European Social Pillar of Rights calls for a high level of protection of workers’ health and safety at work, including from exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at the workplace; whereas the Pregnant Workers Directive (92/85/EEC) presents serious loopholes regarding the prevention from asbestos.
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to present a legal proposal to further reduce workers exposure to asbestos in 2022;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – introductory part 1. Calls on the Commission to
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – introductory part 1. Calls on the Commission to
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – introductory part 1. Calls on the Commission to bring forward, on the basis of Article 169(3) and Article 114(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and taking into account existing national regulations, a legislative proposal introducing mandatory screening for the presence of asbestos
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – introductory part 1. Calls on the Commission to bring forward, on the basis of Article 169(3) and Article 114(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a legislative proposal introducing mandatory
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point a a. the screening shall consists of a diagnosis of the presence of asbestos by a professional entity with appropriate qualifications and permits provided for by national and Union law and must be followed by action to reduce the risk posed by any asbestos detected; asbestos waste disposal must be strictly controlled;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point a a. the screening shall consists of a diagnosis of the presence of any asbestos or the lack thereof and
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point a a. the screening shall consists of a diagnosis of the presence of asbestos and
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Recital A A. whereas despite the European-level ban on its use, asbestos remains the main cause of death linked to occupational diseases, and whereas it also affects individuals outside the working environment through a continuous increase in cancers and mesothelioma linked to passive, limited exposure; whereas many cases of asbestos-related diseases are not recognised as occupational diseases;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point a a. the screening shall consist
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point b b. the screening shall be validated by an asbestos risk certificate detailing the areas screened, the nature of contamination, the quantity of asbestos containing materials estimated and, where appropriate, the action taken to reduce the risk posed by asbestos;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point b b. the screening shall be validated by an asbestos
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point b b. the screening
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point c c. the result of the screening must be communicated to a competent national body, which shall maintain a national register of asbestos risk reduction certificates and provide advice to owners on the applicable laws and regulations, the correct and safe removal of asbestos detected and the financial support available;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point c c. the result of the screening must be communicated to a competent national body, which shall maintain a national register of asbestos risk reduction certificates and provide advice to owners about applicable laws and regulation, the correct and safe removal of asbestos detected, and financial support available;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point c c. the result of the screening must be communicated to a competent national body
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point c c. the result of the screening
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point c a (new) ca. the Commission shall provide guidance to Member States on the design of national asbestos registers in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point d d. in order to protect users or occupants as effectively as possible, the screening must be carried out by qualified and certified operators in accordance with Directive 2009/148/EC and national law and practice and under the supervision of a competent national body;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Recital A A. whereas despite the European-level ban on its use, asbestos remains the main cause of death linked to occupational diseases, and whereas it also affects individuals outside the working environment, including children, through a continuous increase in cancers and mesothelioma, as well as other non- malignant lung and pleural disorders, linked to passive, limited exposure;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point d d. in order to protect users or occupants as effectively as possible, the screening and, when required, the removal must be carried out by qualified and certified operators in accordance with Directive 2009/148/EC;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e e. the certificate shall be forwarded to the buyer before any sale, and made available to the lessor, as well as on request to professionals carrying out work in the building or to occupants/users
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e e. when applicable, the certificate shall be forwarded to the buyer before any sale, and made available to the lessor, as well as on request to professionals carrying out work in the building
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e a (new) ea. the certificate shall be valid for the lifetime of the building; the original certificate, which established the first screening for the presence of asbestos in buildings, does not have to be renewed for each sale or rental; the original certificate shall be registered in a database and no further action shall be needed; the removal of asbestos shall be a one-time event that does not change with time; each new owner shall not be required to get a new certificate.
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e a (new) ea. effective, proportionate and dissuasive fines shall be established for owners of buildings who do not comply with their screening and reporting obligations to competent authorities; fines shall be allocated to ad hoc funds to finance the removal of asbestos and support the victims of asbestos related problems;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e a (new) ea. the certificate must be renewed after each sale or, at the latest, five years after it was issued, in order to update the diagnosis it contains;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e b (new) eb. effective, proportionate and dissuasive fines shall be established for sellers and lessors of buildings who do not commission the prescribed screening and report the results thereof to the competent body or to buyers or lessees before selling or renting out the property;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point e c (new) ec. sellers or lessors of buildings shall be liable if they do not commission the mandatory screening and report the results thereof to the competent national body, the period of liability being 30 years;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment addressing such issues as the best and most efficient methods for screen buildings for presence of asbestos, and methods to remove asbestos from buildings, taking into consideration the following aspects: – removal costs and possible influence on selling price of buildings (the mandatory training for workers, the use of the most up to date technologies, relocation of inhabitants in surroundings during dusty works) – minor works exemption; – adequate financial support for owners of buildings, including abandoned buildings, engaging in asbestos identification and removal;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Stresses that the planned update of provisions of directive 2009/148/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work, as well as the new initiatives on the European and national asbestos removal strategies make a concrete contribution to the social dimension of the single market; calls on the Commission to ensure, that these initiatives will guarantee the well- functioning and sustainable development of SMEs and micro-enterprises and support them when implementing these strategies;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Recital A A. whereas despite the European-level ban on its use since 2005 and the REACH Regulation, which lists six groups of asbestos fibre, asbestos remains the main cause of death linked to occupational diseases, and whereas it also affects individuals outside the working environment through a continuous increase in cancers and mesothelioma linked to passive, limited exposure;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls on the Commission to establish a European framework for national asbestos removal plans, under which Member States should define and implement asbestos’ removal targets for public and private buildings, establish one-stop-shops to centralise actions and information regarding asbestos removal plans, designate a national contact point to assist victims and their families and establish clear and efficient compensation mechanisms for the victims of asbestos related diseases;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Considers that, once asbestos has been detected and after determining the risks it poses to residents, workers and the environment, the relevant national body should, in cooperation with the owner of the building, investigate the need for the asbestos to be removed; stresses that both the monitoring requirement and the removal of asbestos need appropriate financial support from the EU budget;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls on Member States to develop a list of certified operators, which shall be made available by the competent national body; the certified operator shall communicate the results of the screening to the owner in a certificate, which should be reported to a competent national body (a one-stop shop).
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls on the Commission to draw up within two years an inventory of best practices, covering both statutory obligations and financial incentives, in order to reduce the risk of exposure to asbestos for users and inhabitants of buildings;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Welcomes the Commission’s plan to strengthen Union measures for protecting workers from the threat of asbestos and to prevent the increment of asbestos victims in the course of the Union’s building renovation wave; believes that renovation offers a unique opportunity to modernize housing infrastructure for the benefit of all consumers in the EU and to make it fit for a greener and digital society of Europe after the recovery from COVID-19 crisis;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Highlights that the European framework for national asbestos removal plans should include the establishment of a European platform for national authorities to report the presence of asbestos in the view of mapping and exchanging good practices on its removal and safe disposals; Adds that this platform should be fully accessible to the general public and should include data reported in the national registers;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Notes the additional administrative burden of such new requirements; encourages Member States to grant potential fund and financial support for owners of the buildings to undertake the significant costs induced by the screening for the presence of asbestos and avoid the risk of abandon of buildings; this could include funding for the purchase of a building by the Member States.
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to take action in order to raise awareness about asbestos in buildings constructed before 2005, or the year in which the national ban on asbestos was introduced, and about a legal procedure for asbestos removal with regard to the inhabitants and proprietors perspective;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Underlines that the proposed rules should take account of cost-effectiveness and the potential financial burden on building owners and thus possibly higher charges for the users of buildings which are subject to monitoring requirements;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Stresses that the provisions of Union law on market surveillance and compliance of products should be used to prevent the use and illegal placement of asbestos on the internal market and highlights in this regard the importance of digitalisation of registers of buildings containing asbestos and the facilitation of data sharing between the construction sector, financial institutions and public authorities; recalls that strengthening efforts to keep non-compliant products, also containing asbestos, from the Union market was identified as a priority in the Commission’s communication of 28 October 2015 “Upgrading the Single Market: more opportunities for people and business”;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Recital A A. whereas despite the European-level ban on its use,
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Calls on the Commission to draw up a programme of financial support for Member State actions aimed at removing and safely disposing of asbestos, including information and education activities, given the negative impact of asbestos on people’s health and the considerable cost of detecting and removing it;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Calls on the Commission to take into account in its proposal specificities of SMEs; insists on the need to develop standardisation process to remove asbestos fibres to reduce the burden of the procedure and ease administrative burden on companies, especially for SMEs.
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Underlines that special attention has to be paid to the abandoned buildings and facilities that may as well contain asbestos and calls on the Commission and Member States to find a viable solution for their inclusion in national registers of asbestos.
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Highlights that building owners should have the possibility to access financial support mechanisms, including through Union funds, for financing maintenance, renovation and demolition works related to the removal of asbestos;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Calls Member States for accompanying measures for SMEs; insists on the need to facilitate their work on the implementation of regulations related to asbestos, notably through guidance on the best practices to implement; encourages Member States to launch awareness-raising campaigns accompanying measures for SMEs; insists that the transition toward a European Union free of asbestos should be socially fair and include support for private owners and SMEs;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Underlines that currently Member States can allocate European Structural and Investment Funds for handling and removal of asbestos in line with the objectives of the respective national or regional programmes; stresses within this context the unique opportunities given in this regard by the Green Deal, the Next Generation EU and the 2021-27 Multiannual Financial Framework;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Calls on the Member States to enhance market surveillance activities, including labour inspections, in order to increase the level of safety;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Encourages Member States to keep a register of all recognised cases of asbestos-related occupational diseases.
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 f (new) 1f. Calls on the Commission and on the Member States to promote public information campaigns, in order to raise awareness on the risks related to all varieties of asbestos and to all level of exposure, including secondary exposure;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas asbestos is acknowledged, as is well established and documented, as a cause of lung, laryngeal and ovarian cancers and mesothelioma, with a latency period of 20 to 55 years following exposure; whereas a study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health puts the number of persons dying each year as a result of exposure to asbestos at some 250 0001a; _________ 1ahttps://www.mdpi.com/1660- 4601/15/5/1000/htm
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 f (new) 1f. Calls on Member States to facilitate the free of charge access of this register for owners, buyers, renters, workers and SMEs; the certificate shall be annexed to the sale agreement and shall be made available to the tenants.
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 g (new) 1g. Calls on the Commission to come up with an ambitious revision of the Pregnant Workers Directive (92/85/EEC) which should include measures to avoid exposure also during the early weeks of gestation.
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 g (new) 1g. Encourages Member States cooperate on the development of coordinated registration systems and databases and to share good practises related to asbestos issue in the single market.
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas Regulation (EU) 1907/2006 specified that the manufacture, selling and use of asbestos fibres and products containing these fibres added intentionally is prohibited and whereas Regulation (EU) 2016/1005 amending Annex XVII to REACH regulation aims ensuring the complete phase out of asbestos products in Member States by 1 July 2025;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas asbestos is still present in many administrative buildings, schools, housing, infrastructure and public- transport facilities and water supply networks; whereas knowledge about the use and presence of that substance is dwindling over time;
source: 693.705
2021/06/09
ENVI
127 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 a (new) 1a. whereas a financial framework, based on the use of Union Structural and Investment Funds, should be established to support building owners and linking the removal of asbestos to other public policies and programmes (such as energy efficiency, improvements of the living environment and social housing) for reasons of efficiency and the use of synergies;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. The development of information campaigns on asbestos to provide relevant information to workers, employers, owners, tenants, users of buildings and infrastructure, and citizens about the risks and legal obligations relating to asbestos, in particular as regards the characteristics of asbestos, its effects on health (including synergistic effects linked to smoking), the types of materials, products and places likely to contain asbestos and the relationship between their condition and the probability of them releasing fibres, the relevant public authorities and the financial aid available to carry out safe asbestos removal;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. The development of information campaigns on asbestos to provide relevant information to workers, employers, owners, tenants, users of buildings and infrastructure, and citizens about the risks
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. The development of information campaigns on asbestos to provide relevant information to workers, employers, owners, tenants, users of buildings and
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. The development of information campaigns on asbestos to provide relevant information to workers and their families, employers, owners, tenants, users of buildings and infrastructure, and citizens about the risks and legal obligations relating to asbestos;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. The development of European Union-wide information campaigns on asbestos to provide relevant information to workers, employers, owners, tenants, users of buildings and infrastructure, and citizens about the risks and legal obligations relating to asbestos;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. The establishment of centres for the treatment and inerting of waste containing asbestos
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. The
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. The establishment of centres and the promotion of research for the
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. The establishment of centres for the treatment and inerting of waste containing asbestos by providing for the phasing out of the disposal of such waste in landfills and other harmful practices such as its disposal in waterbodies;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. The development of a strategic plan for the EU to increase its activity and influence on global level with regard to the fight against dumping of asbestos in developing countries;
Amendment 111 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. The establishment of a European framework for public and accessible asbestos registers, together with a mapping of the exact location of asbestos on public and private sites and the provision of detailed information on landfills containing asbestos waste in order to prevent the uncontrolled release of asbestos fibres into the air, the accidental displacement of soils in which these materials are buried and the associated public health risks;
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. The establishment of a European framework for public and accessible asbestos registers,
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. The establishment of a European framework for national asbestos removal strategies, including a legislative proposal for public and accessible asbestos registers, together with a mapping of the exact location of asbestos on public and private sites;
Amendment 114 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. The establishment of a European
Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. The establishment of a European framework for public and accessible asbestos registers,
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. The establishment of a European framework for public and accessible asbestos registers, together with a mapping of the exact location of asbestos on public
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. A roadmap for
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that worldwide hundreds of millions of people are exposed to asbestos every year, despite its health risks having been known for decades; whereas a study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health puts the number of persons dying each year as a result of exposure to asbestos at some 250 0001a; __________________ 1aFuruya S, Chimed-Ochir O, Takahashi K, David A, Takala J. Global Asbestos Disaster. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(5):1000. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15051000
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. A roadmap for asbestos-free workplaces and an asbestos-free environment, which could establish priority sectors, comprise support for safe removal, and be subject to periodic evaluation every five years of the progress made by the national and regional authorities;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. The
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. The active involvement of the social partners and other stakeholders, such as asbestos victims’ groups, in the drafting, implementation and assessment of a roadmap for asbestos-free workplaces and an asbestos-free environment.
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. The active involvement of the social partners and other stakeholders, such as asbestos victims’ groups, representatives of national health services and representatives of operators.
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. The identification of funding instruments including both EU and national funds for the implementation of the Strategy to be adopted by the Commission.
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. The need to include asbestos- related diseases as a key issue in preventive public health.
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. To support research into the risks related to environmental asbestos exposure pathways.
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 c (new) 7c. The active involvement of the social partners and other stakeholders, such as asbestos victims’ groups, tenants and environmental organizations.
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that worldwide hundreds of millions of people
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Recalls that worldwide hundreds of millions of people are exposed to asbestos every year,
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Stresses that all types of asbestos- related diseases such as lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma – caused by the inhalation of asbestos-suspended fibres thin enough to reach the alveoli and long enough to exceed the size of macrophages, as well as different types of cancer caused not only by the inhalation of airborne fibre but also by the ingestion of water containing such fibres coming from asbestos pipes – have been recognised as a health hazard and can take several decades, and in some cases more than 40 years, to become apparent;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Recalls that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), recognised asbestos as a proven carcinogen (group 1) responsible for lung cancers and mesothelioma as well as larynx and ovarian cancers; whereas research on other cancers induced by asbestos should be promoted;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Points out that, in addition to the active, continuous or periodic exposure of workers to asbestos, there is also the problem of passive occupational exposure involving persons working in the vicinity of other workers dealing with asbestos;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Stresses that asbestos is a non- threshold carcinogen, meaning that every level of exposure, however low, brings a risk of developing cancer;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the existence of different types of non-occupational exposure to asbestos, whether of para-occupational, domestic or environmental origin; Points out that according to recent studies, non-occupational exposure to asbestos may explain about 20% of the mesotheliomas in industrialized countries; Recalls that indirect or passive forms of exposure to asbestos, such as the case of asbestos dust brought home by workers, have significant consequences for health ; Is concerned that a large proportion of public schools built before 1997 still contain asbestos, creating a risk of exposure for children/students and school staff; Urges that a census of schools with asbestos should be carried out at European level and that renovation should therefore be considered as a priority in schools buildings; Stresses that women are also exposed to asbestos-related risks and that pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to asbestos. Underlines that nearly 25% of mesothelioma cases in the U.S. occur in women. Call therefore for a modification of the Pregnant Workers Directive1a; __________________ 1aCouncil Directive 92/85/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding (OJ No L 348, 28.11.92, p. 1)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 a (new) 1a. whereas the European Green Deal sets the ambition of zero-pollution, to be delivered through a cross cutting strategy to protect citizens’ health from environmental degradation and pollution while calling at the same time for a just transition that leaves nobody behind;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the existence of different types of non-occupational exposure to asbestos, whether of para-occupational, domestic or environmental origin; in that regard, calls on the Commission to update, no later than 31 December 2022, the Asbestos at Work Directive1a with a view to amending the existing binding occupational exposure limit value (OEL) for asbestos, taking into account the latest scientific knowledge and technical developments, including an evaluation of different types of asbestos fibres and their adverse health effects, as well as to start the process for updating the list of fibroussilicates within the scope of the directive and in this context consider the inclusion of actinolite, anthophyllite, tremolite, grunerite and riebeckite as well as winchite, richterite, fluoro-edenite, and erionite, as well as an assessment of a differentiated limit value for different types of asbestos fibres; __________________ 1a Directive 2009/148/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work (OJ L 330, 16.12.2009, p. 28–36)
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the existence of different types of non-occupational exposure to asbestos, whether of para-occupational
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Draws attention to the presence of asbestos in many products which are still in use, such as abrasives, adhesives, car and bicycle parts, lubricants, paints and textiles, most of which are imported;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Draws attention, therefore, the need for stringent checks on imports of articles from third countries which still allow the use of asbestos;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recalls that asbestos diseases have been observed in populations living or
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recalls that asbestos diseases have been observed in populations living or having lived in the vicinity of industrial sites or premises with degraded flocking; Considers that exposure to asbestos is a form of environmental and health inequality fostering feelings of injustice and being “left behind” amongst vulnerable populations;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recalls that asbestos diseases have been observed in populations living or having lived in the vicinity of industrial sites or premises with degraded flocking, in some cases more than 30 years after direct or indirect exposure;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recalls that asbestos diseases have been observed in populations living or having lived in the vicinity of industrial sites or premises with degraded flocking, including populations living close to construction sites, train infrastructures, shipyards and power plants;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recalls that
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recalls that asbestos diseases have been
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 b (new) 1b. whereas the EU Action Plan: 'Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil' aims at reducing pollution “to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems and that respect the boundaries our planet can cope with, thus creating a toxic-free environment”;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses that a series of studies carried out by the US Environmental Protection Agency1a 1b starting in 2006 revealed significant levels of asbestos in rivers and their nearby tributaries; points out that, according to these studies, the level of asbestos is sufficiently toxic to prevent vegetation from growing properly and to cause harm to fauna; calls on the European Environment Agency to carry out similar studies in the near future; __________________ 1a Washington State Department of Health (2009), Advisory for Swift Creek Naturally Occurring Asbestos 1bUnited States Environmental Protection Agency, Swift Creek (https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile. aspx?site_id=3639)
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Recalls, that despite the Europe- wide ban on asbestos (1999, to be implemented by 2005), asbestos still kills people in Europe. Whereas all types of asbestos are dangerous and its hazard impact has been documented and subject to regulations, and despite the ban on the use of asbestos, it is still found in many ships, trains, machinery, bunkers, tunnels, galleries, pipes in public and private water distribution networks and especially in buildings, including many public and private buildings;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Recalls that there are several diseases related to asbestos, both malignant and non-malignant, and that the cumulative effect of non-malignant diseases related to asbestos has been proved to be a risk factor for death related to and caused by asbestos;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Recalls a WHO study1a which outlines a substantial increase in risk for lung cancer due to co-exposure of tobacco smoke and asbestos fibres; __________________ 1aWHO, Asbestos: elimination of asbestos-related diseases 2018, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Evaluation of the practical implementation of the EU occupational safety and health (OSH) directives in EU Member States.
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Highlights that actions to enhance prevention are major public health investments for healthier lives but also for the cost/benefit balance in the management of healthcare systems;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 c (new) 3c. Recalls that improving early diagnosis, treatments and rehabilitation are priorities of the EU Beating Cancer Plan and should benefit patients suffering from asbestos-related diseases;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that a study by Italian
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that a study by Italian scientists has shown that ingestion of water containing asbestos fibres significantly increases the risk of gastric and colorectal cancers
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 c (new) 1c. whereas Article 37 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights requires that a high level of environmental protection and the improvement of the quality of the environment be integrated into the policies of the Union and ensured in accordance with the principle of sustainable development;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that a study by Italian scientists has shown that ingestion of water containing asbestos fibres significantly increases the risk of gastric and colorectal cancers; Calls on the Member States to carry out regular monitoring of the quality of the water used for the abstraction of drinking water and to take the necessary preventive and mitigation measures in case there is a risk to human health;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that a study by Italian scientists has shown that ingestion of water containing asbestos fibres significantly increases the risk of gastric and colorectal cancers; further recalls that in line with WHO recommendations asbestos-cement pipes should no longer be used or approved for drinking water;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Considers that the European Plan on Beating Cancer and the Parliament’s upcoming Resolution from its Special Committee on Beating Cancer are opportunities to include asbestos as one of the causes that significantly increase the risk of cancers for workers, children, or inhabitants in areas close to asbestos factories and mines or in buildings containing asbestos;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses that vulnerable populations suffer the most from these health consequences but often have limited access to health care. Calls for special financial support to be given to them;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Takes the view that the complete eradication of asbestos which is still present and of all products containing asbestos worldwide should be a priority objective for the EU;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses, that background concentration levels of asbestos in the atmosphere should be known and measured all over Europe;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Considers that citizens should receive equal protection from exposure to asbestos in their living spaces; urges the Commission in this regard to ensure the protection of all citizens by introducing exposure limit values for asbestos in living spaces as it is necessary, notably in view of para-occupational exposure by means of which exposed workers transport asbestos fibres to the house setting;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Recalls that, apart from the naturally occurring sites from where it is extracted, asbestos may be found as degraded flocking not only in water but also in soils and in the atmosphere;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 c (new) 4c. Recalls that more information is needed with regard to population exposure through contact with commercial products containing asbestos, such as housing materials and their disturbance through normal activity; adds that risks arising from populations exposed to naturally occurring asbestos materials is also an area where information is lacking;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 d (new) 1d. whereas, according to Article 191(1) of the TFEU, Union policy on environment shall contribute to the pursuit of objectives; such as protecting the health of its citizens, protecting and improving the quality of the environment, promoting the prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources, and promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 d (new) 4d. Stresses that increased environmental exposure in view of the deterioration of the building stock in the EU leads to more cases of mesothelioma;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 e (new) 4e. Urges the Commission and Member States in this regard to support research into the risks related to such environmental asbestos exposure pathways;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to set out a European strategy for the complete elimination of asbestos; calls on all Member States to adopt national action plans to implement that strategy; considers that the Commission should coordinate the national action plans, in particular through the adoption of a framework directive on this matter; Stresses that the attribution of the cost of asbestos removal should be based on the polluter pays principle. Stresses that asbestos waste should be made inert prior to its environmentally sound disposal and calls on the Commission to propose a corresponding revision of relevant EU waste legislation;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to set out a European strategy for the complete elimination of asbestos; calls on all Member States to adopt national action plans to implement that strategy; considers that the Commission should coordinate the national action plans, in particular through the adoption of a framework directive on this matter; points out that the safe removal of asbestos is an example of the need to apply the Principle of Health in all policies and is directly connected to recent and upcoming Union policy initiatives such as the Green Deal with the Renovation Wave and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to set out a European strategy for the complete elimination of asbestos; calls on all Member States to adopt national action plans to implement that strategy; considers that the Commission should coordinate the national action plans, in particular through the adoption of a framework directive on this matter; underlines in this context the need for a coherent methodology for risk assessment to ensure a Union level playing field and to avoid fragmentation of the single market;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Commission to set out a European strategy for the complete elimination of asbestos; calls on all Member States which have not yet done so to adopt national action plans to implement that strategy; considers that the Commission should
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Is of the opinion that before any additions to existing EU legislative requirements can be considered, robust scientific evidence of the need for change must be provided, supported by a thorough impact assessment clearly setting out costs and benefits;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Insists that the transition toward a European Union free of asbestos should be socially fair and include support for private owners and SMEs;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 e (new) 1e. whereas, according to Article 191(2) of the TFEU, Union policy on environment shall be based on the precautionary principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should as a priority be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6.
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers that a comprehensive renovation and asbestos removal plan for
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Welcomes the opportunity offered by the renovation wave presented by the Commission on 14 October 2020 to eradicate asbestos completely from buildings; stresses the imperative need to guarantee the highest possible level of protection for workers and local people exposed to asbestos during rehabilitation and demolition operations;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Recalls the anticipated increase in construction work in view of the Renovation Wave which will be accompanied by increased occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos fibres; highlights the need for asbestos to be substituted with energy efficient materials in the context of the Renovation Wave;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that unsafe working conditions for workers may expose society as a whole to risks of asbestos exposure, in particular the families of the workers concerned; Stresses that some workers are much more exposed to asbestos than others, and that this situation of environmental inequality reinforces the already existing economic inequalities. Stresses in particular that construction workers are highly exposed to asbestos, since (in France) 97% of them are considered to be probably or very probably exposed to it at work; Calls for the establishment of an early warning mechanism, internal and external to occupational structures, to report on the presence of asbestos;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that unsafe working
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that unsafe working conditions for workers may expose society as a whole to risks of asbestos exposure, in particular the families of the workers concerned; stresses, therefore, the need to guarantee a high level of protection of the health and safety of workers, in particular by providing them with proper protective equipment and ensuring that family members are not exposed to asbestos on work clothes and tools;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that unsafe working conditions for workers may expose society
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that unsafe working conditions for workers may expose society as a whole to risks of asbestos exposure, in particular the families of the workers concerned, and especially when work clothes are being maintained;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 f (new) 1f. whereas, the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is becoming universally recognised as the number of states recognising this right has grown over the past few years with more than 155 countries recognising this right, or elements of this right, in their national legal systems;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that unsafe
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Insists on the need to carry out long-term epidemiological surveillance to assess the effectiveness of the measures taken; highlights that mesothelioma is a disease whose main risk-factor is asbestos and that the number of mesotheliomas diagnosed is a relevant indicator for epidemiological surveillance; calls therefore for the declaration of mesothelioma to competent authorities to be made mandatory;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. Insists on the need to ensure the availability of adequate waste facilities for the safe and sustainable disposal of asbestos materials, located in the vicinity of construction sites; stresses that delivering asbestos waste to landfills is only a temporary solution and that risks of releasing asbestos fibres into the environment should be avoided;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 c (new) 7c. Highlights that the waste management of asbestos is a challenge of strategic significance for the EU given the amount of asbestos still to be removed and already in landfills; calls on the Commission and Member States to consider all tools to support investment in sustainable treatment technologies, including channelling public spending through dedicated Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs); highlights that the treatments of asbestos should fully apply the precautionary principle;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on the Commission to support the dissemination of information on the various systems for the destruction of asbestos products based on best available techniques; Calls on the Commission to create a European public register to identify the presence of asbestos in the EU and a best practice platform for asbestos removal;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on the Commission to support the dissemination of information on the various systems for the
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Points out one third of Europeans live in countries that have not yet banned the use of all forms of asbestos; stresses that 16 European countries still use asbestos, including as a building material, and continue to produce and export asbestos; urges the Commission to take decisive action under the Neighbourhood Policy to bring about the banning and complete eradication of asbestos throughout the European continent and in the states bordering the Mediterranean Sea;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 b (new) 8b. Stresses that the provision of compensation for suffering resulting from anxiety that exists in some EU countries, such as France, for workers exposed to asbestos, is largely limited and leads to unequal treatment between asbestos victims; Calls therefore on the Commission to introduce legislation establishing a general liability regime for diffuse pollution to provide compensation to victims for all damages from diffuse pollution, including that caused by asbestos;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Recital 1 g (new) 1g. whereas, the European Social Pillar of Rights calls for a high level of protection of workers’ health and safety at work, including from exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at the workplace, while the Pregnant Workers Directive1a presents serious loopholes regarding the prevention of harm from asbestos. __________________ 1aCouncil Directive 92/85/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding (OJ No L 348, 28 .11 92, p. 1)
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 9. Calls on the EU to work with other
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 9. Calls on the EU to work with
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 9. Calls on the EU to work with other international organisations, notably the World Health Organization, and third countries to achieve a global ban on asbestos;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Highlights the importance of ensuring sufficient and focused support to employers in transposing these protective measures, in particular SMEs and micro- enterprises, in order to avoid non- compliance; recalls the importance of adequate financial support from relevant existing EU funds to ensure proper support and to encourage correct and safe removal of any asbestos detected;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Stresses that, as the demand for asbestos-related work is likely to grow significantly with the Renovation Wave, there is a crucial need to support research and development in order to strengthen the protection of workers and of the environment, and to improve the reliability and speed of asbestos screening, measurement, removal, and safe waste management;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Stresses the need to establish public registers relating to asbestos and minimum standards relating to their implementation; recalls that such minimum standards relating to public registers need to be linked to health and safety policies and to environmental and public health regulations;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Urges the EU to consider as a top priority the inclusion of chrysotile asbestos in the list in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention and to take all the steps required to bring this about;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Is alarmed at the current upsurge in the global asbestos trade; condemns the efforts on the part of the powerful global asbestos lobby to prevent the imposition of a global asbestos ban; condemns the fact the EU continues to export asbestos, in particular in vessels sent for dismantling to third countries; stresses that EU-based companies are continuing to develop activities linked to the mining of asbestos in third countries; considers that the imposition of a duty of care on European companies can represent a contribution by those companies to the global eradication of asbestos and guarantee access to justice for non-European victims of asbestos-related diseases; hopes that the negotiations on the International Treaty on Business and Human Rights will also take account of the issue of impunity linked to the mining of asbestos;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Highlights the need for the treatment of asbestos waste and the safe handling, removal and substitution of this substance in waste streams to be at the heart of the strategy to be developed by the Commission; recalls the need for greater circularity in the construction sector and the importance of preventing asbestos waste from entering the circular economy;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 c (new) 9c. Recalls that the disposal of asbestos waste in landfills is a short-term solution which is leading to the release of asbestos fibres into the environment to the detriment of public health;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Recalls that a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 d (new) 9d. Calls on the Commission to promote the establishment throughout the EU of centres for the treatment and inertisation of waste containing asbestos, combined with phasing out all delivery of such waste to landfills;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 e (new) 9e. Highlights the need for the EU to fight in international fora against the dumping of asbestos in developing countries;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 f (new) 9f. Emphasises the need for synergies between the strategy to be developed by the Commission, the circular economy objectives including the labelling system and the strategy for a sustainable built environment; highlights also the need for synergies to be created between the strategy and existing initiatives concerning the development of a knowledge base in relation to the substitution of hazardous substances of concern;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 g (new) 9g. Recalls the need for transparency with regard to the presence and composition of asbestos fibres in waste streams with a view to improving dismantling and decontamination techniques in order to facilitate the recovery of waste; encourages the creation of synergies with the database being set up by the European Chemicals Agency to gather information and improve knowledge about substances of concern in products and in products when they become waste;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. The development of models to detect, register, monitor and check asbestos in private and public buildings, land, infrastructure, logistics and piping;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. The development of models to detect, monitor and check asbestos in
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. The definition of models for monitoring asbestos fibres suspended in the air in the workplace, built-up areas and landfills, in particular brownfield sites to be rehabilitated, and fibres present in drinking water supplied through asbestos cement pipes;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. The definition of models for monitoring asbestos fibres suspended in the air in the workplace, built-up areas and landfills
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. The definition of models for monitoring asbestos fibres suspended in the air and dust containing asbestos in the workplace, built-up areas and landfills, and fibres present in drinking water supplied through asbestos cement pipes;
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