Asbestos in Burgenland: Seven Tourist Destinations Affected – Greenpeace

What Greenpeace Has Documented

Greenpeace criticizes the state of Burgenland for leaving further search possibilities, such as delivery lists, unused. The organization's spokesperson position is that the state „weitergehende Suchmöglichkeiten wie Lieferlisten ungenützt lässt und Gemeinden, Betriebe sowie die Menschen mit den Sanierungskosten alleine" lässt. According to the criticism, this passes costs and responsibility on to those affected locally, without a coordinated state strategy taking effect.

Stefan Stadler, spokesperson for Greenpeace Austria, names the failures vis-à-vis the public. While the population and Greenpeace actively search for asbestos, the authorities, in the organization's view, hold back. Stadler's statement underscores the imbalance between civil society engagement and official inaction that the latest Greenpeace survey reveals.

The Criticism of the Authorities

According to Greenpeace, responses from state politics are absent. Neither the state of Burgenland nor the municipalities involved have so far presented a comprehensive remediation plan. The task force that was established after earlier incidents is active only as an advisory body, without the necessary resources and authority to coordinate area-wide investigations and remediations.

For the affected municipalities, the findings mean a double burden. On one hand, they must inform tourists about possible risks and cordon off affected areas; on the other, there is no clear funding commitment from the state for the required remediation work. Mayors report that the costs for sampling, expert assessments, and any necessary disposals can quickly reach six-figure amounts.

Consequences for Municipalities and Tourism

From Greenpeace's perspective, the case is an example of a missed opportunity for precautionary action. In this context, the organization points to experiences from other federal states and from neighboring countries, where systematic supply chain analyses in the 1990s helped identify contaminated public buildings and coordinate remediation at the state level. Burgenland could therefore have acted earlier, instead of now reacting to pressure from individual initiatives.

Legally, asbestos is classified as a carcinogenic hazardous substance. When found in public places, regulations on worker protection and waste management apply throughout Austria. Which of these provisions apply in Burgenland to the seven tourist destinations and whether remediation deadlines exist are currently part of the ongoing debate.

Legal Framework and Outlook

Greenpeace announces that it will continue the surveys in the coming weeks and examine additional locations. The organization calls on the public to report suspicious materials and appeals to the state of Burgenland to finally present a statewide strategy that finances and accompanies search, recovery, and remediation from a single source.