Valerie Van Peel's (N-VA) latest attempt to get more money for asbestos victims met with a "no" vote in the House of Representatives.
It was the dossier in the Chamber on which MP Van Peel announced her exit: compensation for asbestos victims. Van Peel had had proposals ready for some time, but they always fell through because the majority did not give a member of the opposition free rein, no matter how noble the proposals.
It made Van Peel close the door with great emotion: she is no longer a candidate for her party N-VA on June 9, and even resigned as vice president of her party.
Today she tried one last time to get her bill through. That would firmly amend the old regulation that asbestos producer Eternit, among others, is hiding behind. Now Eternit can't really be taken to court if it pays out liquidated damages.
In any case, there was little chance that enough parties within Vivaldi would go along with the proposal this time. In the past, it was mainly the Open Vld faction that had been obstructive. Extra media attention seemed to change things, but once again there was no majority for Van Peel.
The dossier is reminiscent of that of party financing: that caused much discontent and commotion in the Flemish press. There, it was MP Kristof Calvo (Groen) who, with his plea to substantially reduce party financing, repeatedly made quick headlines. But there, too, the merciless logic of the majority in the Chamber showed itself: without support from each party, it will not work. For an N-VA MP, who is not in the majority, it should already be more than a minor miracle. Quod non.
Eternit SA, formerly Industrias Eternit SA, is a Brazil-based company engaged in the manufacture and sale of construction materials made from fiber cement, cement, concrete, plaster, metal and plastic. The Companyâs products include roof coverings and shapes made from fiber-cement and cement reinforced with synthetic fiber; metallic roof coverings; ceramic sanitary ware; wall panels; water tanks; water filters for pipes, and metallic shapes used in the construction of roofing and walls, among others. Additionally, the Companyâs subsidiary Sama SA Mineracoes Associadas is engaged in the extraction and processing of chrysotile asbestos. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated four plants located in the Brazilian states of Bahia, Goias, Parana and Rio de Janeiro, and had a number of subsidiaries, such as Engedis Distribuicao Ltda, Precon Goias Industrial Ltda and Wagner Ltda, among others. In February 2012, the Company entered in the segment of metal sanitary ware.
ETERNIT S.A. 
