According to Euractiv, the European Parliament and EU countries have reached a political agreement regarding the update of the EU Directive on asbestos in the workplace, reducing asbestos limits by ten times and establishing new measurement methods.

A provisional agreement

The EU Council and Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the Commission's proposal to update the EU directive on asbestos, a carcinogenic mineral found in many old constructions, by lowering the current asbestos limits and establishing methods for measuring exposure levels in line with the latest technological developments.

Once the agreement is officially adopted following legal and linguistic revisions, member states will have two years to implement the new maximum exposure levels and six years to introduce new measurement methods.

The new rules set the maximum exposure level at 0.01 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cm3) over a maximum transitional period of six years. The agreed asbestos level is ten times lower than the current exposure limit.

After the transitional period, member states will be required to implement a new measurement method for asbestos levels - electron microscopy (EM) - which is more sensitive than the phase contrast microscopy (PCM) currently used.

This will enable the measurement of thin asbestos fibers, and member states will have two options: either to measure them, in which case the maximum exposure limit will remain at 0.01 f/cm3, or not to measure them, in which case the maximum exposure limit will be reduced to 0.002 f/cm3.

"[The agreement] brings the exposure limit rules in line with progress in measurement methods, which means that workers will benefit from much higher levels of protection," said Paulina Brandberg, the Swedish Minister for Gender Equality and Professional Life, in the Council's press release on Tuesday.

Cindy Franssen, Member of the European Parliament for the center-right European People's Party (PPE) Group and negotiator for the dossier in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), called the agreement "a win-win situation for both workers and employers" as the given deadline is hoped to ensure a smooth implementation of the directive.

"On the one hand, workers will be better protected from the dangers of asbestos. On the other hand, employers will have enough time to prepare for ambitious but necessary protection levels," she said.

Clash of Ambitions in the Fight Against Asbestos

Members of the European Parliament continue to push for enhanced protection of workers against asbestos, despite a more cautious approach from the EU executive and member states.

Under the new rules, businesses intending to carry out asbestos removal or demolition work will be required to obtain permits from national authorities.

Employers will also need to identify materials that may contain asbestos prior to demolition or maintenance work in buildings constructed before the national asbestos ban came into effect, according to the Council's press release.

Regarding workers, those who are or may be exposed to asbestos should wear appropriate personal protective equipment and undergo mandatory training in line with the minimum quality requirements set out in the directive.

There are also stricter requirements for short-term outdoor work involving asbestos. "To avoid any gaps, for example when roof tiles need to be removed," stated Danish Member of the European Parliament Nikolaj Villumsen from the Left in the press release.

Additionally, member states will be required to keep a register of all medically diagnosed cases of asbestos-related occupational diseases.

European MEPs Demand More Protection for Workers

The Parliament has given the green light to a new EU strategic framework on health and safety at work, which includes better protection for workers against exposure to harmful substances, workplace stress, and repetitive motion injuries.

The Commission's proposal for a directive aimed at protecting workers from cancer-causing asbestos came in September last year, following a resolution by the European Parliament calling on the Commission to update the asbestos directive in the workplace.

The proposal, which establishes an exposure limit 10 times lower than 0.01 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cm3), has been criticized by MEPs and some stakeholders as insufficiently ambitious.

MEPs in the EMPL committee recently unanimously adopted a report with amendments calling for a reduction in the exposure limit to 0.001 fibers/cm³ after a four-year transitional period.

While the current agreement between the Council and Parliament falls short, MEP Villumsen emphasized that the agreement is "broader and more comprehensive" than the Commission's initial proposal.

"It is a clear victory for workers and will enhance protection for millions of Europeans," he said. Additionally, the Commission has committed to continuing its work in the fight against asbestos.

"Furthermore, to improve protection for the wider public, the Commission is working on an initiative for the verification and registration of asbestos in buildings," said Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis in the Commission's press release.