The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU will be inviting environment ministers to a political debate on 20 June on the proposed revision of EU directives on ambient air quality, the flagship text of the ‘European Green Deal’ and its ‘zero toxic pollution’ ambition.
On Friday 9 June, the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) were briefed on the progress of work at technical level and approved the questionnaire to be submitted to the ‘Environment’ Council.
The proposal was presented in October 2022 to bring EU legislation more into line with WHO standards (see EUROPE 13051/1, 13080/9). In a note that will guide the debate, the Swedish Presidency stresses that an in-depth examination of Articles 1 to 11 has enabled it to present an initial compromise text on legislation that has been generally well received.
However, some delegations are “concerned about the costs associated with more ambitious air quality and governance standards, as well as other aspects of the proposal, in particular its links with other legislation affecting air quality and the provisions on access to justice, compensation and penalties”, stresses the Presidency.
To guide future work, ministers will be asked to say:
- if they believe that the air quality standards and their entry into force from 2030 constitute an appropriate level of ambition;
- which factors they believe are most important in achieving air quality standards and the long-term goal of zero pollution, and whether these factors are adequately addressed in the proposed directive.
The note from the Swedish Presidency: https://aeur.eu/f/7ee (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)