Reducing air pollution - National emission ceilings for air pollutants

Despite significant progress in recent decades, air pollution levels in the European Union still have adverse impacts on the environment and on health. The European Commission estimates that health-related costs of air pollution in the EU range from 390 to 940 billion euros per year. The proposed directive, which would replace the current National Emission Ceilings Directive, sets binding national reduction objectives for six air pollutants (SO2, NOx, NMVOCs, NH3, PM2.5 and CH4) to be met by 2020 and 2030. It will also implement the Gothenburg Protocol as amended in 2012. The European Commission estimates that implementation costs would range from 2.2 to 3.3 billion euros per year. Stakeholders have been divided over the level of ambition of the proposed ceilings. Both EU advisory committees have issued opinions and some national parliaments have made comments on the proposal. The Council held an orientation debate in June 2014. The ENVI Committee is expected to consider the draft report in April 2015. A more recent edition of this document is available. Find it by searching by the document title at this address: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/home.html