1700 EC employees exposed to asbestos to move to alternative site in ‘First Months of 2016’

The European Commission said that all 1,700 staff, 50 of whom are Maltese, directly exposed to the presence of asbestos at the Jean Monnet Building in Luxembourg ‘should have been moved in the first months of 2016 to a temporary building made available by the Luxembourg authorities which should be ready by the end of 2015.’ The Commission said that since November 2014, staff has gradually started to move into space available in existing office buildings. Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva set this deadline after being repeatedly asked by Maltese MEP Alfred Sant, since December of 2014, for a precise dateline for the abandonment of the Jean Monnet Building in Luxembourg.

Reacting to Georgieva’s reply, Dr. Sant said that it is hardly believable that the European Commission should have taken so long to remedy a really unacceptable situation in which the health of hundreds of employees was, still is for that matter, being put at risk. ‘The Commission is supposed to set the standards for others but has been totally relaxed about disregarding them itself on such a vital matter. I hope that this is not the tip of an iceberg and that there are no similar violations hidden in its administrative systems.’ Dr. Sant said in Brussels.

The Commission said that following the approval of the budgetary authority (on 14 April by COMBUD in the Council and on 6 May by the BUDG Committee of the European Parliament), the leases for two replacement buildings to be rented by the Commission were signed on 12 May 2015. They will be fitted out in phases between end September and end November 2015. Relocation of staff will take place in stages, as soon as fitted-out spaces become available. The Commission confirmed that as of today, 4 cases of asbestos exposure have been recognised as professional illnesses among Commission employees stationed in the Jean Monnet Building.

Dr. Sant had asked why it took the Commission 20 years to move its employees out of the JeanMonnet Building and whether a definite date had been set by which the Commission plans to have moved all its employees from the building. He also asked how many cases of asbestos exposure had been recognised among Commission employees in the building.

 

Maltese Version – 1,700 IMPJEGAT TAL-KUMMISSJONI ESPOSTI GĦALL-ASBESTOS F’SIT ALTERNATTIV ‘FL-EWWEL XHUR TAS-SENA 2016’

Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea qalet li l-1,700 ħaddiem, 50 minnhom Maltin, li huma direttament esposti għall-asbestos fil-bini Jean Monnet fil-Lussemburgu ‘għandhom jiċċaqalqu f’bini alternattiv fl-ewwel xhur tas-sena 2016. Dan il-bini sar disponibbli mill-awtoritajiet tal-Lussemburgu u għandu jkun lest sal-aħħar tas-sena 2015.’ Il-Kummissjoni qalet li l-impjegati ilhom jiċċaqalqu f’siti ta’ uffiċini alternattivi b’mod gradwali sa minn Novembru tal-2014. Il-Viċi-President Kristalina Georgieva tat din id-data wara li l-Membru Parlamentari Ewropew Alfred Sant kien ilu minn Diċembru 2014 jistaqsi biex jingħata data preċiża għall-evakwazzjoni tal-ħaddiema esposti għall-asbestos.

F’reazzjoni għar-risposta ta’ Georgieva, Dr Sant qal li dan id-dewmien mill-Kummissjoni Ewropea lanqas jitwemmen għax is-sitwazzjoni hija inaċettabbli. Dan għaliex mijiet ta’ impjegati kienu u għadhom f’riskju. ‘Suppost il-Kummissjoni tfassal l-istandards għal ħaddieħor. F’din is-sitwazzjoni daqshekk vitali kienet komda ma tagħtix kashom. Nispera li bil-moħbi mhux qed jinkisru aktar regoli fis-sistemi amministrattivi tal-Kummissjoni.’ Qal Dr Sant fi Brussell.

Il-Kummissjoni qalet li fit-12 ta’ Mejju, l-awtorita` tal-Baġits (fl-14 ta’ April mill-COMBUD fil-Kunsill u fis-6 ta’ Mejju fil-Kumitat tal-BUDG tal-Parlament Ewropew), iffirmat kuntratt biex tikri żewġ binjiet alternattivi. Dawn se jkunu mgħammra ftit ftit bejn l-aħħar ta’ Settembru u l-aħħar ta’ Novembru 2015. L-impjegati se jimxu f’dawn il-binjiet kull meta l-ispazji tal-uffiċċini fihom ikunu mgħammra u disponibbli. Il-Kummissjoni kkonfermat li sal-lum kien hemm 4 mpjegati li ġew rikonoxxuti li mardu wara li kienu esposti għall-asbestos fil-bini Jean Monnet.

Dr Sant kien staqsa għaliex il-Kummissjoni ħadet 20 sena biex iċċaqlaq l-impjegati tagħha barra mill-bini Jean Monnet. Hu kien staqsa lil Kummissjoni għandhiex data definittiva biex toħroġ lil ħaddiema kollha minn dan il-bini. Dr Sant staqsa kemm kien hemm każijiet rikonoxxuti mill-Kummissjoni, ta’ ħaddiema li mardu għax kienu esposti għall-asbestos, f’dan il-bini.