The European Commission has reached the limits of its patience. On Thursday 17 May, it decided to take legal action against France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the United Kingdom for persistent infringement of EU air quality law (see other article) but this coercive measure is only one of the means the Commission intends to use to improve air quality in Europe.
“The additional measures announced or put in place by these countries were not sufficient to persuade the Commission that they would deliver within the timescale set, that is, as quickly as possible”, European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella, noting that the limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM10) should have been met by 2010 and 2005 respectively. “We cannot endlessly defer the deadlines”, he said, stating that he found it unacceptable that some countries intend to wait until 2020, and even 2025 before falling into line with EU law.
For the moment, Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which were also in the Commission’s sights, have been spared referral to the Court of Justice. “Their measures seem to be sufficient, if they are put into effect quickly and fully”, the commissioner said, making the point clearly that the Commission will be extremely vigilant in checking that the commitments made are, indeed, met.
As it carried out the threat against six countries that it brandished as early as November, ahead of the ministerial mini-summit on air quality on 30 January, the Commission also set out in a communication on Thursday 17 May the measures it intends to take to help all member states ensure clean air for all, and to protect citizens from a scourge that is the cause of 400,000 premature deaths in the EU every year (see EUROPE 12020).
“The College of Commissioners is determined to address this issue urgently and with all due seriousness to reduce this figure. Infringement procedures are not an end in themselves. We are not going to leave the member states to solve this problem on their own”, assured Vella.
Among the measures to help countries set out in the communication are: - the launch of a clean air dialogue; - making use of the EIR, a tool to review and assess member states’ environmental performances with a view to improving them; - work by the European Commission on urban mobility; - European funding available to the member states, whether research funding from the Horizon 2020 programme, cohesion funding or funding from the LIFE programme.
Helping the member states to meet their legal obligations will not simply be an extravagance: to date, infringement procedures have been opened against 13 member states for exceeding NO2 limits and against 16 for exceeding PM10 limits. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)