The European Union began to regulate various air pollutants in the early 1980s by setting limit values. Previous legislation in the EU covered SO2 and suspended particulates (80/779/EEC amended by 89/427/EEC), lead (82/884/EEC), NO2 (85/203/EEC) and ozone (92/72/EEC).

To deal with air pollution, legislation in this area addresses two sides of the same coin: air quality as well as pollutant emissions. Air quality legislation aims at guaranteeing that the air we breathe is safe for human health as well as for the environment. Emission legislation tries to ensure that less pollution is emitted into the atmosphere.

With regard to air quality legislation, the air quality framework directive (96/62/EC) is one of the most important laws. It lays down common rules and principles for setting limit values as well as for the assessment and the management of air quality throughout the EU. This subsequently led to the development four air quality daughter directives, setting standards for the concentration of 13 different air pollutants in ambient air.

With regard to emission legislation, the directive on national emission ceilings (NECs) is of key importance. It deals with four air pollutants that cause acidification and the formation of ground-level ozone, namely sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ammonia (NH3) was adopted by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament in July 2001. This directive establishes interim environmental quality targets to be attained by 2010 and sets country-by-country emission ceilings for the pollutants mentioned above, thus limiting the total amount tons of air pollution that the countries are allowed to emit.

On 21 September the European Commission adopted the thematic strategy on air pollution – a long-term plan on how to reduce air pollution in the EU in the next 15 years. The Strategy is accompanied by a directive proposal on air quality, which will revise existing air quality legislation and combine several directives into one. This is the first of the seven Thematic Strategies that the EU executive is obliged to develop for the most persisting environmental problems in the European Union.

Aims:

• Ensure that the air-related directives, which will be proposed or revised by the Commission as a result of the Thematic Strategy for clean air are environmentally ambitious.

• Ensure that these directives contribute to further reducing air pollution to meet the long-term environmental and health objectives of no exceedence of critical loads and levels and effective protection of all people against the recognised risks from air pollution.

• Ensure that the streamlining and simplification of the air quality directives does not lead to a downgrading of environmental standards.

Activities:

New legislation:
• Active involvement in expert working groups and technical committees preparing the revision of the NEC directive. Influence as well as follow-up proposal to review NEC directive.

• Follow-up proposals on air emission standards for cars and heavy-duty vehicles (EURO5 and EURO6).

• Follow-up possible proposals related to the Thematic Strategy on further reduction of ship emissions through economic instruments

• Follow-up possible proposals related to Thematic Strategy on air pollution emissions from small-scale combustion.

Reviews:
• Follow-up revision and streamlining of air quality framework and daughter directives.

• Follow-up possible proposals related to the review of the IPPC directive and links between IPPC, NEC and LCP directive.

General activities:
• Maintain regular contact with EEB organisations active on air pollution via the special list server for this purpose, and organise two workshops of this working group.

• Ongoing co-ordination and promotion of activities with the EEB Members, in close co-operation with the European Federation for Transport and the Environment (T&E).

• Circulate information on interlinkages between air pollution and climate change.