Questions and Answers on the Clean Air Outlook

What are the main messages of the Clean Air Outlook report?

• For now, there is a major problem which the Member States must address urgently. Non-compliance with the current air quality standards is widespread, and even more with the often stricter WHO guidelines. The European Commission has announced in its Communication “A Europe that protects: Clean air for all” the measures taken to ensure compliance, where legal measures to enforce EU law are complemented with 'Clean Air Dialogues' with individual Member States and use of the available EU funds.

• For 2030, when the new NEC Directive reduction commitments have to be met, the picture is more positive. The new NEC Directive aims to improve health by reducing pollution emissions, and should reduce adverse impacts by 54% compared with 2005. This is better than expected when the NECD was adopted, and the implementation costs are lower, mainly as a result of synergies with source legislation adopted since the NECD was proposed – the Ecodesign provisions on solid fuel combustion, the Medium Combustion Plants Directive, the revised Non Road Mobile Machinery Regulation and the Large Combustion Plants BAT conclusions.  As a result, the population exposed to PM2,5 concentrations above the WHO guideline should drop from 88% in 2005 to around 13% in 2030, and in most of those locations the exceedances would be small enough to be addressed by local measures.

Why is air pollution a problem?

Poor air quality is a major health risk, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including cancer. Children, the elderly and citizens suffering from asthma and other respiratory conditions are most affected. As well as negative effects on health, air pollution has considerable economic impacts increasing medical costs, and reducing productivity through lost working days. Air pollution also has impacts on the environment, affecting the quality of freshwater, soil, and ecosystems.

In 2014, more than 400 000 people are estimated to have died prematurely from air pollution in the EU. Almost two-thirds of the EU land area was exposed to excess nutrient (transported through air) above safe levels. Air pollution can also damage materials and buildings. Furthermore, some air pollutants behave like greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change. The total economic cost of healthcare impacts alone is huge, estimated at EUR 330-940 billion a year (3-9% of EU GDP). EUR 20 billion of these costs are for direct economic impacts, including health care costs and lost productivity due to sickness.

What are the main sectors driving the ongoing problems?

Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel-powered passenger cars and light duty vehicles, systematically much higher than the type-approved limit values, are a major contributing factor to the non-compliance with the NO2 limit value.

Breach of the particulate matter limit values is driven by a range of sectors. Primary particles emitted from industry, transport and domestic combustion are a significant contribution. But the majority of particle mass comes from reactions between agricultural pollution (ammonia) and pollution from industry or transport.

What action is the Commission taking on these?

The recent adoption, in 2017, of a new EU-wide test procedure reflecting the real-driving emissions of light duty vehicles, and the 2016 Commission proposal on a revised type approval system, will help make progress on the 'real world emissions' from transport.

Measures promoting compliance with the particulate matter (PM) limit values include the gradual penetration of particle filters to meet particulate matter emission limits for passenger cars (included in Euro 5 and 6), and the controls on combustion plants under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and the Medium Combustion Plant Directive. 

Although the Ecodesign requirements on solid fuel stoves and boilers agreed in 2015 will only apply after 2020, a number of Member States have proactively introduced them in advance of the deadline to assist in tackling emissions of PM, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and NOx. Moreover, Ecodesign and other requirements to improve energy efficiency (laid down notably by the 2010 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive and their update proposed by the Commission in 2016, as well as the 2017 Energy Labelling Regulation) contribute to emission reductions of atmospheric pollutants by decreasing energy consumption. The recently-adopted Best Available Techniques (BAT) conclusions on Large Combustion Plants under the IED will also have positive impacts on NOx, SO2, and PM.

However, as solid biomass remains by far the largest contributor (82%) to renewable heat production and bioenergy as a whole will continue to represent a large proportion of the EU renewable energy mix, improvements in emission control could be offset to some extent by increased numbers of emitters.

What action is being taken to address emissions from agriculture?

Agriculture is the sector where source legislation makes the lowest contribution to achieving the NECD reductions. Most of the required action needs to be taken under the NECD itself, and Annex III provides a list of measures for the Member States to choose from.

Effective engagement of the sector will be needed to deliver the required reductions. Even then, the current analysis shows that the EU will be far from its long-term objective of not harming ecosystems, but there is substantial further reduction potential which could move the EU much closer. The Commission will continue to support national efforts, including by maximising the use of Common Agricultural Policy funding and by promoting synergies with the implementation of relevant EU legislation, such as the Nitrates Directive 91/676/EEC.

What is the difference between EU air pollution emission ceilings and EU air quality standards?

• EU emission ceilings are upper limits for total emissions of certain air pollutants that Member States have to respect by a certain date, to push down overall concentrations of air pollutants and limit transboundary air pollution. Existing ceilings are in place for 2010, as set out in the UNECE Gothenburg Protocol in 1999 and the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive, NECD (2001/81/EC). New ceilings (which are called national emission reduction commitments) for 2020 were agreed in 2012 in the revised Gothenburg Protocol, and are adopted for 2020 and 2030 in the revised NECD 2016/2284/EU.
• EU air quality standards are local concentration limit values for the air pollutants most harmful to health, as set out in the EU ambient air quality Directives, AAQDs (2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC), which have to be respected throughout the EU with a view to provide a general protection for all against harmful air pollution levels. Meeting the air quality standards often requires a combination of local measures addressing particular air pollution hotspots, and reducing background emissions by implementing the NECD and relevant source-legislation. The AAQDs are currently undergoing a Fitness Check .

What is the Commission doing to promote implementation of air policies?

The Commission cooperates with Member States to help them meet air quality standards, which they have agreed to respect, and which are set to safeguard citizens' health. These are limits for several key pollutants, namely nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10), which had to be met in 2010 and 2005 respectively.

The Commission has already engaged in intensive outreach efforts and political action to help Member States to comply. A most recent example is the Clean Air Forum hosted by Commissioner Vella together with the Mayor of Paris in November 2017 to identify effective solutions to reduce emissions. The Commission has initiated intensive dialogues with Member States with the launch of the Environmental Implementation Review and with specific Clean Air Dialogues. It also works to further facilitate cooperation with and among city actors across the European Union to address air pollution in urban areas via the EU Urban Agenda.

EU funding under various financial streams has been made available and successfully used by Member States to address the air quality challenge. A recent study has provisionally estimated that around €76bn has been allocated to actions contributing purely or partially to air quality in the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, as proposed by the European Commission, will continue to support measures to improve air quality, including through the target of 25% of EU expenditure contributing to climate objectives and a strengthening of the LIFE programme.

The seriousness and urgency of air pollution requires credible, effective and timely measures by Member States to keep exceedance periods as short as possible. When and where such adequate measures are not taken, the Commission has no choice but to proceed with legal action. The Commission recently did so by referring several Member States to the Court of Justice of the EU, at the same time as it stepped up cooperation with all Member States, by offering them further support tools in support of their implementation efforts.

What action will the Commission take on methane?

Methane and ozone are closely connected, as methane is a major contributor to background ozone concentrations.  Because of methane's long lifetime, it is transported long distances over the northern hemisphere, with emissions in the USA, China and India affecting EU concentrations and vice versa.

The Commission's Joint Research Centre will present later this year a technical report on methane emissions and their contribution to ozone.  Based on this work, the Commission will, in 2019, assess the potential for reductions across the northern hemisphere and their impacts on concentrations, with a view to identifying appropriate methane reduction objectives in the context of a future hemispheric approach.

What are the next steps?

The Clean Air Outlook will also provide context for Member States' work in developing their National Air Pollution Control Programmes (NAPCPs) due by 1 April 2019 under the new NEC Directive. The next Clean Air Outlook is foreseen for 2020 and will include the Commission analysis of the 2019 NAPCPs.