A further step was taken in Strasbourg on Wednesday 5 July in increasing the level of protection for human health and the environment against cross-border air pollution. The European Parliament gave its backing to ratification by the EU of the amendment to the Gothenburg Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) on reducing acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone.
Following the recommendation of rapporteur Adina-Ioana Vălean (EPP, Romania), MEPs voted by the overwhelming majority of 630 to 10, with 25 abstentions, to approve the Council draft decision.
In May 2012, the parties to the Gothenburg Protocol agreed a raft of revisions, among which was the inclusion of tougher emissions reduction commitments until 2020 through tighter limit values from stationary and mobile sources (see EUROPE 10609).
The revised protocol is the first binding agreement containing commitments on reducing emissions of fine particles. It also comprises measures on black carbon, a pollutant with a short shelf life and a component of the particles. The reduction of particles brought by application of the protocol is considered to be a powerful way of curbing air pollution and bring climate benefits.
In the EU, implementation of the Gothenburg Protocol is through the national emissions ceiling (NEC) directive (see EUROPE 11685). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)