Stricter new limits approved by the EU to drastically cut air pollution

The new directive will enter into force on 31 December 2016

The new directive will enter into force on 31 December 2016

A new directive was approved on 14 December 2016 by the European Parliament and the Council, setting stricter limits on the five main pollutants in Europe (PM_2.5, SO₂, NO_x, NMVOC, NH₃). The new National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive, based on a Commission proposal, will enter into force on 31 December 2016 and Member States must transpose it into national legislation by 30 June 2018. When fully implemented, it will cut the negative health impacts of air pollution -such as respiratory diseases and premature death- to half by 2030. Member States should produce a National Air Pollution Control Programme by 2019, setting out measures to ensure that emissions of the five main air pollutants are reduced by the percentages agreed by 2020 and 2030. They must also implement the measures in fields such as transport, agriculture, energy and climate. This will require investments, but the Commission will facilitate access to EU funding instruments, and of course the costs will be many times outweighed by the benefits in cost savings, particularly on health care and sickness at work. The Commission will work with Member States to ensure sound implementation, for example by setting up a new Clean Air Forum by autumn 2017.

The NEC Directive sets maximum emission ceilings for each country per year for the five main pollutants. And although the 2020 reduction commitments are identical to those the Member States already agreed upon in the 2012 revision of the Gothenburg Protocol, those for 2030 require substantially deeper reductions. More specifically, until 2030, the following targets should be met: fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) -49%, sulphur dioxide -79%, nitrogen oxides -63%, non-methane volatile organic compounds -40% and ammonia -19%.

The benefits

The agreement on stricter limits in the NEC is an important achievement in the fight against an invisible killer such as air pollution. The measures will be beneficial not only for the European citizens’ health, but also for the quality of fresh water, soil and ecosystems. ‘Air pollution kills over 450,000 people in Europe each year. This is more than ten times as many as road traffic accidents. Now it is for the national governments to start with implementation so that people can benefit from cleaner air. We will work with Member States to support them in this challenge for improving the health of EU citizens’, said Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs.

Source: European Commission