The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report by Mr. Jan ANDERSSON (PES, SE) approving unamended (simplified procedure), the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2004/40/EC on minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (electromagnetic fields).
It is worth noting that, although the rapporteur fully supports the objectives of the Commission which aims to postpone the deadline for the transposition of the directive into national law, given the concerns expressed by some sectors of activity, he, nevertheless, showed his intention to introduce, in the first instance, an amendment inviting the Commission to present an interim report to the European Parliament on the state of play of the research being carried out in this area. However, he finally decided not to do so because he considers it preferable to give sufficient time to the Commission to carry out the necessary research and analyse the data gathered. The rapporteur considers, however, that the Commission must be held accountable to the European Parliament, and reserves the right to call upon the Commission, at any time, to explain the state of play with regard to the studies carried out and the first findings deriving thereto.
Lastly, the rapporteur underlines the importance of the timely transposition of the directive on the protection of workers against the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.