European Parliament calls for stricter air pollution limits

by dpa | 25.Apr 2024 | Europe in brief

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In their last plenary session in Strasbourg before the EU elections, MEPs approved a provisional agreement reached in February to tighten rules on air pollution. According to the European Environment Agency, poor air quality is a major health risk.

Eine Schicht mit schwarzem Ruß bedeckt am 03.05.2017 in Hamburg das Innere des Auspuffs eines Kleintransporters. (zu dpa: «Tempo 30 statt Fahrverbote - Das Ringen um den Mittleren Ring»)
A layer of black soot covers the inside of the exhaust pipe of a van. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa
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Strasbourg (dpa) – The European Parliament gave the green light on Wednesday for stricter limits on air pollution. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in the French city of Strasbourg in favour of new upper limits to apply for emissions like particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), among other pollutants.

Representatives of the EU member states and the European Parliament had reached a provisional agreement in February.The new rules are intended to ensure that air pollution in Europe does not harm human health, the parliament said.

In future, citizens should be entitled to compensation if they fall ill due to non-compliance with limit values.The limit values for certain particulate matter and sulphur dioxide are to be halved.

“By updating air quality standards, some of which were established nearly two decades ago, pollution will be halved across the EU, paving the way for a healthier, more sustainable future,” said Socialist MEP Javi López, who was responsible for the file in the European Parliament.

Following the vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament, the EU member states still have to confirm the new rules. This is usually a formality and is scheduled for next week.

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), poor air quality remains the greatest health risk as a result of environmental conditions.According to the latest figures, there were some 253,000 deaths in the EU in 2021 related to particulate matter levels above the recommended limits of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The German Association of Cities is calling for polluters to be held more accountable. They support the goal of reducing pollutants in the air, Managing Director Helmut Dedy told dpa. “However, this will only succeed if pollutants are also stopped directly at source,” Dedy said. “Industry, car manufacturers, the energy sector and agriculture are the main contributors to air pollution.”

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