European Union strengthens air quality standards

The Council of the European Union has adopted a directive introducing new air quality standards. It sets stricter limits for the most harmful pollutants, closer to the levels the World Health Organization recommends. Under a new provision, citizens can seek compensation if non-compliance with air pollution regulations leads to a deterioration of their health.

The European Union aims to reduce air pollution to a level that is not harmful to health and ecosystems by 2050 at the latest. Polluted air is the leading environmental cause of premature deaths in the EU, estimated to cause 300,000 cases of premature death each year.

In April, the European Parliament adopted a provisional agreement with the Council of the EU on lowering the limit values for the most harmful pollutants in outdoor air and improving air quality monitoring. The Council of the EU, which represents member states, has just adopted the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD).

The new air pollutant concentration limits need to be achieved by 2030

The new rules set stricter 2030 limits and target values for air pollutants severely impacting human health. They include particulate matter of the PM10 and PM2.5 type, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).

For PM2.5 and NO2, the annual ceilings are slashed from 25 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter and halved to 20 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively. With these new upper limits, the European Union is approaching the values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Its limit for PM2.5 is five micrograms per cubic meter of air.

Data from the ‘Europe’s Air Quality Status 2024’ report show that in 2022 and 2023, almost all Europeans (96%) living in cities were exposed to PM2.5 concentrations above the levels recommended by the WHO.

Under the new directive, citizens have the right to seek and receive compensation when their health is harmed due to violations of the air quality regulations. This provision empowers citizens and ensures they are protected in the event of health damage.

According to a press release from the Council of the EU, the directive stipulates that citizens can seek compensation for health damage resulting from non-compliance with EU air quality rules.

It also mandates improvements in air quality monitoring and modelling systems and regular reviews of air quality standards based on the latest scientific evidence.

Once the directive comes into effect, countries will have two years to implement it into national legislation.