Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-16-Speech-1-081"
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"en.20021216.7.1-081"2
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"Mr President, I wish to thank Mrs Damião for all her work and I hope that she will get well soon.
Every year 4 500 people die from asbestos-related diseases in the UK alone. It is predicted that 250 000 will die in the European Union of these diseases in the next 35 years. Medical and scientific evidence demonstrates that there is a real need for this directive. I am delighted that the production and marketing of asbestos will be banned across the EU from 2005. Thankfully, it has already been banned in the UK.
However, there are still millions of tonnes of asbestos in Europe's buildings throughout the European Union. Those buildings will have to be demolished at some point, and the asbestos will have to be removed, repaired or maintained, with the consequent effect on the health and safety of all those asbestos workers.
I welcome the fact that this directive will lower the exposure limit values for asbestos. I emphatically support the three amendments Mr Hughes has talked about. However, I was extremely disappointed that the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs changed its mind after first reading; my amendments, which were not accepted, would have halved the exposure limit value. The committee's reasoning, as I understand it, was that, since the Council had not accepted my amendments, there was no point in going to conciliation as it would not have accepted them in future. However, we know from experience that the Council quite often changes it mind during the conciliation procedure, and it seems a great shame that we did not pursue those amendments. Had it saved just one asbestos worker's life, it would have been worth it.
Nevertheless, I decided against retabling the amendments because I did not have the support of the Committee on Employment or the other groups in this House.
Even though I would have liked to have seen the directive go further, it is still a very good directive and will save asbestos workers' lives across the EU. For that reason, I will advise my group to vote for this directive, because it is greatly needed."@en1
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