While progress has been made in reducing air and pesticide pollution in the EU, there is still much to be done in this area and more to be done on nutrient, noise and chemical pollution to achieve the ‘Zero Pollution’ ambition of the ‘European Green Deal’, according to the first monitoring and outlook report published on Thursday 8 December 2022.
The Zero Pollution Action Plan of May 2021 set the stage for the EU’s transition to zero pollution of air, soil and water by 2050, with targets to be achieved by 2030 to realise the ambition of a non-toxic environment for human health and natural ecosystems in the long term (see EUROPE 12719/4).
Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius recalled in presenting this lacklustre report, based on an assessment by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and foresight work by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
This report and the one on clean air (the 3rd of its kind), published on the same day, call for the implementation of existing legislation and the adoption of all proposals on the table.
“Excessive nutrients, pesticides and marine litter are causing eutrophication of water bodies, pollinator decline and more plastics than fish in the seas. Nature is suffering”, said Mr Sinkevičius.
According to the report, more than 10% of premature deaths in the EU each year are still linked to environmental pollution - primarily air pollution, but also noise pollution and exposure to chemical substances, which is probably underestimated.
In particular, the Commissioner pointed out that with the revision of EU air quality legislation, proposed at the end of October to bring EU standards more closely in line with WHO recommendations, there would be a potential to reduce the number of premature deaths by 70% by 2030 (see EUROPE 13051/1). He also cited the proposed revision of the clean water legislation (see EUROPE 13051/2).
The Regulation proposed on 30 November to boost the reuse of packaging and the prevention of packaging waste should also help to make progress, he believes (see EUROPE 13074/7).
The data published on Thursday will feed into the first progress report on the ‘European Green Deal’ and the 8th Environmental Action Programme, due at the end of 2023. The gaps it identifies will be addressed in a targeted manner by 2024.
The Commissioner confirmed that a legislative proposal on soil health “covering all sources of soil pollution and degradation” and another proposal to tackle the problem of microplastics would be presented in 2023.
No pause in the Green Deal. Asked about Member States’ reluctance to accept the proposal for a binding Regulation on the sustainable use of pesticides, he said the Commission had been ambitious with the target of halving the use of pesticides and the most dangerous ones by 2030 - a target contained in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. Yet, he says, this legislation “can create a common ground between those who use a lot of pesticides and those who use less”.
As for the voices calling for a pause in the ‘European Green Deal’ in the midst of the energy crisis, Mr Sinkevičius dismisses them outright.
“In 2019, the Green Deal was a strategy for growth. It is intended to be horizontal. It’s not just about meeting environmental goals, but about ensuring the resilience of communities that depend on degrading land”, he said. He added: “If investment had been made in renewables, companies would not have been caught off guard. We are here to support companies”.
Regarding the criticism of some Member States, such as Italy - a champion of recycling - towards the proposal on the re-use of packaging waste, the Commissioner argued that “without a change of course to counter plastic waste, in 5 or 10 years the primary victims will be fishermen, farmers, foresters”, whose income depends on nature.
The Monitoring and Outlook Report: https://aeur.eu/f/4k6
The 3rd Clean Air Outlook: https://aeur.eu/f/4kn (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)