The European Commission launched, Tuesday, an open public consultation on the evaluation of the National Emission Reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive. Citizens and stakeholders are invited to share their views on the NEC Directive via an online consultation that runs until 26 November 2024.
The evaluation of the NEC Directive will assess whether it effectively contributes to its goals – to protect human health and the environment by reducing national emissions of the five main air pollutants, namely fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), ammonia (NH3) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).
One of the key objectives will also be to evaluate the relevance of this Directive in view of evolving circumstances, in particular scientific and technical progress and the implementation of other EU climate and energy policies. The assessment will also help to clarify any obstacles in implementing the Directive and explore the potential for simplification and reduction of regulatory costs.
The evaluation also includes a targeted stakeholder consultation that collects views from an expert audience on specific questions and a one-day stakeholder workshop, announced for 14 October 2024 in Brussels as a hybrid event. The Commission has contracted out a dedicated study to support the evaluation and the public and targeted stakeholder consultations.
Background
Air pollution is the greatest environmental cause of premature mortality, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory conditions, and it is among the main reasons for the loss of biodiversity. The EU has been addressing air pollution since the 1970s, developing various instruments to improve air quality and protect ecosystems.
The NEC Directive establishes national commitments to reduce emissions of five air pollutants (SO2, NOx, NMVOC, NH3 and PM2.5) for the period 2020-2029, and more ambitious reduction commitments for 2030 and beyond. It includes (mandatory and voluntary) reporting of the emissions of further pollutants, without requiring their reduction over time.
Article 13(1) of the NEC Directive requires that the European Commission review this Directive no later than 31 December 2025.
Under the NEC Directive, EU Member States are required to:
- Produce and regularly update National Air Pollution Control Programmes, including policies and measures to reduce emissions
- Produce air pollutant emission inventories per sector
- Produce emission projections with estimates on the future evolution of emissions
- Produce emission inventories with spatially disaggregated information and large point sources (e.g. power plants)
- Monitor the impact of air pollution on ecosystems
The second implementation report of the NEC Directive published in July 2024 by the Commission found that overall Member State compliance with national reduction commitments was relatively good for all pollutants except for ammonia emissions.
The NEC Directive is one of the three pillars of EU clean air policy, complementing the Ambient Air Quality Directives (2008/50/EC and Directive 2004/107/EC) and emission standards for key sources of air pollution. It also implements the UNECE Gothenburg Protocol to reduce transboundary air pollution, to which all EU Member States and the EU itself are signatories.
The 2021 Zero Pollution Action Plan sets out related EU-wide targets for 2030 (relative to 2005) to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution by 55% and to reduce by 25% the number of EU ecosystems where air pollution threatens biodiversity.
More information
Details
- Publication date
- 3 September 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
