On 26 October, the proposal drawn up by the European Commission for a new directive on air quality was published, which will replace the directives currently in force (directives 2008/50 / EC and 2004/107 / EC). The new directive will contribute to the implementation of actions aimed at significantly reducing the levels of atmospheric pollutants in order to achieve the “zero pollution” objective, which the European Union has set for 2050.
The proposal contains new air quality standards, aligned with the Recommendations provided by the WHO for the main pollutants in the Guidelines published in September 2021, updating and improving the provisions relating to air quality assessment, public information and sanctions in case of non-compliance with obligations.
The proposal will now be subjected to a long negotiation which will start first in the framework of the technical groups of the Council of the European Union, and will then proceed with the trilogues between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament, in order to arrive at a shared final text.