The study supports the European Commission’s DG GROW in its mission to protect EU citizens from the deadly risks of asbestos exposure. Despite strict regulations in the EU’s Asbestos at Work Directive and the Waste Framework Directive, which protect those who work with asbestos, all citizens remain at risk from asbestos fibres, particularly as decades-old asbestos in the building stock degrades. The risk can exist indoors, during DIY activities, in the ambient air, and can emerge during disaster events.

A major challenge in providing EU citizens with protection from this exposure is the absence of comprehensive information on which buildings contain asbestos and where in the building the asbestos is located, making it impossible to target risk abatement measures. In response to a resolution from the European Parliament calling for action in these areas, the European Commission commissioned this study to assess the impact of requiring asbestos screening, asbestos registries, and national asbestos strategies.

The consortium (empirica and Deloitte) carried out extensive research and consultation with stakeholders, implementing the Better Regulation Guidelines (BRG) methodology, engaging with stakeholders, creating and modelling in an impact assessment tool, and authoring all sections of the impact assessment study. This comprehensive approach aims to provide the European Commission with the necessary information to develop a new directive on asbestos in existing buildings in non-occupational contexts, ultimately protecting EU citizens from the grave health risks associated with asbestos exposure.