Brussel, 16/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission will meet in Brussels on Thursday 25 February to try to bridge their differences on the revision of national emissions ceilings for certain pollutants, with a view to reducing the air pollution that causes 400,000 premature deaths per year in the EU.
The challenge looks to be particularly difficult and this first trialogue meeting will principally afford each of the three institutions the opportunity to set out its position on revision of Directive 2003/35/EC, the so-called NEC directive.
Achieving first reading agreement on this key text of the “Clean Air for Europe” package is a priority of the Dutch Presidency. The text, however, will not be easy for the Council, particularly with regard to the extent of the reduction in emissions of ammonia, a pollutant of agricultural origin. In the general approach which it adopted in December 2015, the Council was much less ambitious than both the European Parliament and the Commission's initial proposal (see EUROPE 114555). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)