18 Amendments of Marie TOUSSAINT related to 2019/2182(INL)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 a (new)
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 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 b (new)
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 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 c (new)
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 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 d (new)
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 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 e (new)
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 7 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 f (new)
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 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 g (new)
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 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. RStresses that the EU must ensure the right of all people living in the EU to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; recalls that worldwide hundreds of millions of people are exposed to asbestos every year, despite its health risks having been known for decades; points out that, in recent years, the rate of death from asbestos fibres has even accelerated;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
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 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
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 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
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 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
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 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
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 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
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 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
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 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
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 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the EU to work with other international organisations and third countries to achieve a global ban on asbestos; stresses that asbestos should not be part of international trade, and that waste asbestos should not be exported to third countries; Calls on the EU to prohibit imports and exports of asbestos from the EU to third countries. Stresses that the future EU legislation on due diligence should take into account the environmental and human rights impacts of companies' activities, and should thus contribute to the liability of companies in relation to asbestos; Calls on the Commission to strengthen the effectiveness and the scope of the Rotterdam Convention by playing a leading role in putting an end to the blocking of the inclusion of chrysotile asbestos 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; Calls on the EU to work together with third countries and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organisation or the United Nations Environment Programme, in order to achieve a global strategy for asbestos removal; Calls on the EU to work also with the states bordering the Mediterranean Sea within the framework of the Neighbourhood Policy to achieve a ban and complete eradication of asbestos throughout the European continent;