EU Parliament set to vote on stricter limits for air pollutants

STRASBOURG — The European Parliament is set to vote Wednesday on stricter limit values against air pollution.

New upper limits are to apply from 2030 for particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), among others.

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 at the time. For example, 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.

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 EU Environment Agency EEA, poor air quality remains the greatest health risk posed by environmental conditions.

According to the latest figures, there were around 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.” He said they should be held more accountable.