White smoke, but above all clean, for better air in Europe.
The European Parliament and the Council, that is, the EU States, have reached a provisional agreement this Tuesday to improve the quality of the air that European citizens breathe and thus reduce the large number of premature deaths, up to 300,000 a year, related with air pollution.
The pact, which still must be ratified by both parties, establishes more ambitious objectives for 2030 with the ultimate goal of achieving zero pollution in 2050. Above all, it reduces the limits of the substances most harmful to health by more than half. especially fine particles.
The agreement “will more align air quality standards in 2030 with those of the World Health Organization (WHO)”, celebrated the Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, although some environmental organizations have regretted that such alienation is not total yet.
Especially because, as Sinkevicius himself has recalled, “air pollution continues to be the number one environmental health problem in the EU.”
All in all, the new directive “paves the way to a Europe where pollution will be a thing of the past and clean air, our future reality,” the European commissioner stressed.
“The good news is that a clean air policy works and that the quality of our air is improving,” he insisted in statements after the latest negotiations, which lasted eight hours, in the so-called trilogue format —between the European Parliament and the Council. of the EU, with the presence of the Commission.
The common text has thus been agreed upon, which must now be ratified by both parties, something that parliamentary sources hope can be achieved before the European elections in June.
Also for the rapporteur from the European Parliament, the socialist Javi López, this agreement constitutes a “big step” to “guarantee a cleaner and healthier future for all Europeans.”
The new rules impose stricter limits and targets for 2030 compared to current ones for several pollutants: especially suspended particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM₂,₅) and those less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10 ), as well as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
For the pollutants with the greatest documented impact on human health, PM₂,₅ and NO2, the current annual limits will be substantially reduced, from 25 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³ and from 40 µg/m³ to 20 µg/m³, respectively.
According to the WHO, fine particles (PM₂,₅) are capable of penetrating through the lungs and blood flow, affecting major organs.
Exposure to these fine particles can cause cardiovascular and/or respiratory diseases, causing everything from heart attacks to lung cancer or other chronic lung diseases, highlights the international health organization.
In addition, the WHO indicates that there are studies that demonstrate an association between prenatal exposure to high levels of air pollution and delayed child development, as well as psychological or behavioral problems later in life, including symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.
The European Parliament has highlighted that the new regulations will impose more sample collection points to measure air quality in cities.
The standards must be reviewed by December 31, 2030 and “at least” every five years thereafter, with greater frequency if new scientific data emerge or the WHO revises its criteria.
States may request a derogation of up to ten years from the deadline to comply with the new standards as long as specific conditions are taken into account.
But Javi López emphasizes that "it is not about postponing the limit and that's it", but rather that flexibility is "conditional" and with numerous "safeguards" to guarantee the commitment of the States to improving air quality.
One of the reasons for postponing the full implementation of the new European rules by up to ten years – the maximum planned, most derogations are for five years plus two accompanying years – will be, for example, if the planned reductions can only be achieved through the replacement of a considerable part of the country's current heating systems responsible for excess pollution.
Citizens will be able to go to court
Both López, responsible for the negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament, and Commissioner Sinkevicius have highlighted that with these new rules, the door is opened to the action of justice: both affected citizens and environmental NGOs will be able to go to court to claim compensation. implementation of the new directive by the States.
In addition, citizens will be able to request compensation if they can demonstrate damage to their health due to a violation of the new national rules.
Judicial procedures of this type must be “fair, timely and not prohibitively expensive,” the new rules emphasize.
For the lawyer of the NGO Client Earth ClientEarth Ugo Taddei, these new rules for going to court and requesting compensation provide “much-needed clarity” and will be “crucial” in achieving “cleaner and healthier air for everyone.” .
At the request of the European Parliament, the directive will be accompanied by an annex in which specific policies are proposed that will help reduce air pollution in cities, such as the pedestrianization of streets, low-emission zones or the electrification of the vehicle fleet.
The use of public transport and alternative vehicles such as bicycles will also be promoted through the construction of bike lanes, something that several of the local governments of the PP and Vox announced they were going to eliminate after their victory in the 2023 elections, despite the fact that a A year earlier, Europe already gave Spain a warning when the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) condemned it for systematic non-compliance with the community air quality standard in Madrid and the metropolitan area of Barcelona.
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