On Wednesday 13 March in Strasbourg, the European Parliament called for faster and more resolute action by the European Union and its Member States to combat deadly air pollution and the causes of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in the European Union.
The resolution on 'Clean Air for All', adopted by 446 votes to 146, with 79 abstentions, calls for a better implementation of EU legislation – something with which Member States are struggling to comply – in particular the limit values for fine particulate matter (PM 10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for which road transport is the primary contributor (see EUROPE 12212/18, 12127/6).
MEPs have expressed their support for dialogues between the Commission and those Member States experiencing difficulties, in order to help them get back on track.
Parliament has invited the Commission to align the standards of the Directive (2008/50/EC) with the stricter WHO values, while also suggesting possible solutions for transport, energy and agriculture. The Commission and Member States are invited to support EU-wide R&D and certification of multi-sensor, intelligent and innovative systems intended for the monitoring of indoor and outdoor air quality.
Member States and car manufacturers are invited to coordinate the mandatory compliance of non-compliant diesel vehicles (specifically, selective catalytic reduction) and the cleaning up of the existing fleet to avoid the ban on diesel vehicles.
On the same day, the European Union Court of Justice dismissed a Polish action for annulment of the Directive on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants (see other news). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)