Fifty Maltese nationals working in Luxembourg in a European Commission building containing asbestos will have to wait until next year before they are moved to new offices, MEP Alfred Sant said yesterday.

The former prime minister has been pressing the Commission since last year to set a deadline for when the 1,400 employees at the Jean Monnet Building will move elsewhere.

He raised the issue after an incident in the building resulted in the release of toxic asbestos fibres in the summer of 2013.

Replying to a parliamentary question tabled by Dr Sant, Commission Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva said yesterday the staff would be moved in the first few months of 2016.

Dr Sant issued a statement saying it was “hardly believable” the Commission was taking so long to make alternative working arrangements for the employees. He questioned why it had taken the Commission over 20 years to move employees out of the building.

Dr Sant said last month that four cases of exposure to asbestos had been recognised as professional illnesses among the Commission employees stationed in the building. He wondered yesterday whether any other cases had been confirmed.

“The Commission is supposed to set standards but has been totally relaxed, disregarding such standards itself on such a vital matter,” he said. He hoped the case was not the tip of the iceberg and no similar violations were “hidden” in Brussels’ administrative systems.

A Commission spokesman told Times of Malta that leases had been signed for two replacement buildings, which should be furnished between September and November. “Relocation of staff will begin as soon as possible. The minute the buildings are ready, we are not delaying on this,” the spokesman said.