The European Environment Bureau (EEB) has voiced concern at the idea that the European Commission might unconditionally meet the demands of 11 EU member states to retrospectively raise their emissions ceilings so that breaches in national air pollution limits are accepted. The environmental NGO therefore wrote to the Commission, on 31 July, calling on it not to show too much leniency towards countries that do not comply with EU legislation, which is decisive for improving ambient air quality in Europe.
The countries concerned are: Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland and Luxembourg. They have all asked for their inventory of polluting emissions for the year 2016 to be adjusted by using the provisions of the “new NEC directive” relating to the reduction of national emissions of certain air pollutants (Directive EU 2016/2284, Article 5). This year, Austria, Hungary, Ireland and the United Kingdom swelled the ranks of those states that filed a request back in 2017 and reiterated it (see EUROPE 11840).
After scrutiny of the requests, Jeremy Wates, EEB Secretary General, who signed the letter addressed to European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella on behalf of the EEB, Air Clim and ClientEarth, called on the Commission to keep the use of inventory adjustments to a “strict minimum”, saying “it should be considered whether governments have taken any action to tackle additional emissions (for example from the road transport and farming sectors) before granting any adjustments”.
“Earlier this year, we welcomed the Commission’s decision to send a number of governments to court for failing to clean up their toxic air. Now we are asking the Commission to once again step up and protect Europeans from harmful pollution”, comments Margherita Tolotto, EEB expert on air quality.
Article 5 of the 2016 directive stipulates that member states may adjust national annual emission inventories for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, ammonia and fine particles when application of improved methods of emissions inventories, updated in line with the development of scientific knowledge, is likely to entail non-compliance with their national emissions reductions commitments. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)