23 EU countries are breaking European air quality laws

European air quality laws are being flouted in more than 130 cities across 23 of the 28 EU member states, the European Commission said yesterday (6 February).

Air pollution is the single largest environmental cause of premature death in urban Europe and transport is the main source.

“The Commission remains concerned about the overall pace of progress in achieving the limit values set by EU legislation in member states,” the executive said in a communication published yesterday.

The 2008 Air Quality Directive, now under review, obliges member states to cut exposure to fine particulate matter by an average of 20% by 2020, based on 2010 levels.

The National Emissions Ceiling Directive caps some emissions including particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NOx) at national level. A revised version of the directive is currently under scrutiny by the Council of Ministers and European Parliament.

Across the EU in 2013, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is mostly produced by traffic, caused 68,000 premature deaths. The Dieselgate scandal exposed how Volkswagen had gamed NO2 emissions tests.

Ozone (O3) killed 16,000 and small particulate matter (PM2.5) caused 436,000 deaths in the same year. PM2.5 particles, microscopic specks of dust and soot caused by burning fossil fuels, can enter the lungs and bloodstream.

Legal action

Over the last two years, the Commission launched legal action against 12 member states for failing to enforce the air quality standards for NO2. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and the UK face possible fines.

Environmental campaigners in Britain won a High Court battle with the British government over its failure to reach European standards. Similar lawsuits are expected across the EU.

UK government loses air pollution court case

Environmental campaigners in the United Kingdom won a High Court legal battle today (2 November) over the government’s failure to tackle air pollution and meet European standards.

The Commission launched more infringement proceedings for PM10, which is larger matter than PM 2.5. Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia and Slovenia face legal action. Cases were brought to the European Court of Justice against Bulgaria and Poland in 2015.

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The executive yesterday launched its Environmental Implementation Review, which it said would improve the observance of EU rules.

Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said proper implementation of environment legislation could save the EU economy €50 billion every year in health costs and direct costs to the environment.

The executive plans to identify and address problems and address them with countries earlier, before they become urgent.

But Vella stopped short of naming and shaming individual countries.

“There are times when we use the carrot and times when we use the stick. This is one of the times we use the carrot,” he told reporters in Brussels.

The Commission published 28 country reports, which analysed progress on waste management, the circular economy, water quality and protecting nature. The executive plans to discuss the findings with each member state and launch a tool to help countries share expertise.

MEPs back pollution rules in bid to save 200,000 lives a year

The European Parliament today (23 November) voted in favour of new EU rules to cap air pollution, which will curb the single largest environmental cause of premature death in urban Europe.

Circular economy

The executive found that waste prevention remained a challenge for the whole EU. Six countries had failed to limit the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste.

The Commission withdrew and, a year later in 2015, re-tabled an earlier version of its Circular Economy Package of waste, recycling and landfill laws.

Vella denied that the decision to axe the old suite of laws had delayed better waste management at national level.

He said, “I don’t think there was any delay when we withdrew the Circular Economy Package.

“The fact is we came back with a very much more ambitious package, including an action plan. I don’t think that any work on waste management was interrupted in that period.”

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