EU takes 6 countries to court over air quality

The European Commission said on Thursday that it will take France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania and the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for failing to respect the bloc’s air quality standards.

The announcement follows a summit in January, during which the Commission warned nine member states that it would penalise those who failed to deliver sufficient measures to bring pollutant levels in line with European Union regulations.

Hungary, Italy and Romania will be taken to court over their failure to meet required levels of particulate matter, which comes from sources including transport emissions, agriculture, industry and residential heating. France, Germany and the UK, meanwhile, exceeded the limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), much of which is produced by diesel vehicles.

According to a statement from the Commission, the six member states had failed to propose “credible, effective and timely measures to reduce pollution as soon as possible, as required under EU law.” 

“The member states referred to the Court today have received sufficient ‘last chances’ over the last decade to improve the situation,” EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said in a statement. “It is my conviction that today’s decision will lead to improvements for citizens on a much quicker timescale.” 

Vella said the Commission would provide national authorities with “practical help” to support their “efforts to promote cleaner air for European cities and towns.”

The commissioner also noted that Spain, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which also received a warning in January over air quality issues, avoided court by promising new measures that would bring their pollution levels in line with EU limits.

The Commission estimates that 400,000 people in the EU die every year because of airborne pollution, and that in 23 of 28 EU countries, targets introduced for 2005 and 2010 are still being exceeded. In addition to premature death, air pollutants can cause respiratory diseases and infections, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

“While air pollution knows no borders and puts everyone at risk, those most vulnerable – pregnant women, children, the elderly, those already ill or poor– are particularly affected,” Dr Maria Neira, director of public health at the World Health Organisation, told The Guardian.

“European air quality laws are being broken on a continental scale,” Margherita Tolotto, from the green group European Environment Bureau, told BBC News. “Everyone in Europe has the same right to clean air, and when national governments fail to deliver EU protections, it’s right that the European Commission steps in to protect us from the air we breathe.”

Tolotto added that the news “should surprise no-one,” since the member states being taken to court “have had too many final warnings.”

The ECJ is expected to hold a hearing in the coming months. If the six member states are found to be in breach of legal obligations, they will be given a period of time to resolve the issues. If they do not reduce air pollutant levels, the court can issue sizeable fines.