Brussels, 28/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 28 October in Strasbourg, in an effort to reduce air pollution responsible for 400,000 premature deaths a year in the EU, the European Parliament appealed for new national ceilings on the main pollutant emissions up to 2030, with an intermediate stage in 2025. This effectively means that it has given its support in a first reading to the draft revision of Directive 2003/35/EC or the so-called “NEC” directive, much to the satisfaction of environmental NGOs and the European Commission. Negotiations will now be able to begin with the Council in view of obtaining an agreement in the first reading.
MEPs are in favour of the new caps for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), methane (CH4) ammonia (NH3), and fine particulates (PM, less than 2.5 micrometers), to be achieved by 2020 and 2030, as proposed by the Commission. Although the European Parliament included ammonia and methane, two pollutants from agriculture, it did, however, exempt enteric methane emitted by ruminants.
The targets will be binding for both 2025 and 2030. For the latter, the targets comply with those proposed by the European Commission but are less ambitious than those advocated by the Environment Committee (see EUROPE 11361).
With regard to mercury, which is mainly emitted by coal burning power plants, MEPs would like an impact assessment to be carried out before the national ceilings are set out.
Julie Girling (ECR, United Kingdom), whose report was adopted by a show of hands, was pleased and said: “My report also pushes the Commission to ensure that the Real Drive Emissions (RDE) procedure is agreed on as soon as possible. We all agree that NOx must be dealt with urgently. The public are demanding action in this area following the recent revelations on the car industry”.
Parliament is calling on the Commission and the member states to move to an immediate acceptance of the agreement on the new draft regulation on Real Drive Emissions (RDE), which is currently being studied, so that they can ensure that EU policies for reducing pollution at source are adapted to their aims. It is also calling on the Commission to look at possible measures for reducing emissions from international maritime transport, particularly in the territorial waters of member states and exclusive economic zones, as well as, if needs be, present a legislative proposal in this connection. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)