Source: European Parliament
At EU level, asbestos is recognised as a hazardous carcinogen. The Commission is promoting the protection of people and the environment by adopting and enforcing EU legislation related to asbestos management and control.
In its communication on working towards an asbestos-free future[1], the Commission called upon all EU institutions, Member States, social partners and other stakeholders to accelerate action to achieve an asbestos-free EU for current and future generations.
As regards the complete removal of asbestos from public buildings, considering that the magnitude of the asbestos presence, as well as screening, registration and removal strategies, differs considerably among Member States, the Commission is examining different possibilities to create a common EU framework to support Member States in monitoring and registering the presence of asbestos in buildings.
Currently no obligation has been established at EU level in this regard and Member States, including Greece, are free to implement any action needed to completely remove asbestos from public buildings.
The EU provides significant funding through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which can be used to support national measures for the removal of asbestos in the context of renovations.
In addition, Cohesion policy supports measures related to renovations and the modernisation of public infrastructure, including educational buildings.
If asbestos is present in buildings undergoing energy renovation works financed by EU funds[2], its removal could be undertaken as part of the renovation.
As Cohesion policy Funds are implemented under shared management between the Commission and Member States, and the latter are responsible for the selection of projects.