The bill was passed yesterday by the Congress of Deputies. The law was passed by almost all political parties in the Madrid Chamber, while Vox abstained. Basque parliamentarians Maitane Ipiñazar (PNV), Eva Blanco (EH Bildu) and Gloria Sánchez (PSE) explained the content of the bill, which was drafted by the Abertzale coalition.

The Spanish Congress aims to set up a compensation fund for workers who have caused asbestos cancer and for those who have not been employed. Some parties have agreed that the bill requires several amendments to the whole or totalidad.El pp, for example, sees the problem in how to get the fund.

According to the letter from the Basque Parliament, in addition to the contribution of the State, companies will also have to provide their money to feed the fund. PNV Member Iñigo Barandiaran has said that the important thing is that the bill has now been passed. He said that the case of asbestos victims is "a matter of social justice" and thanked the members of Asviamie (Association of Asbestos Victims of the Basque Country) present at the Congress. BARANDIARAN pointed out that Belgium, the Netherlands and France have developed similar models of compensation funds.

Multiple attempts

Asviamie does not want to repeat what happened in 2017:Congress accepted the processing of a similar proposal, which had already been approved in the Basque Parliament, but was suspended after being called to the 2019 elections.

88.000 people have lost their lives in Europe because of the cancers caused by the amianto.En 2019, 30 workers lost their lives in Hego Euskal Herria, but the victim association has warned that they represent only 10% of the cases.