EU Clean Air Forum: discussions focus on the impact of air pollution and upcoming EU policy

EU Clean Air Forum poster depicting buildings, houses, vehicles, trees and wind generators.

On 23 and 24 November 2023, the fourth EU Clean Air Forum is bringing together decisionmakers, stakeholders and experts from across the EU to focus on how to further reduce and prevent air pollution. Particular attention will be paid to the ongoing revision of EU rules on ambient air quality.

300 participants are convening today and tomorrow on the historical cruise ship ss Rotterdam to discuss air pollution in Europe. Participants represent civil society, business and industry, academia and research as well as public authorities, including policymakers at the European, national, regional and local levels. A further 400 participants will contribute to the discussions online (livestream available).

At the Forum, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission will launch a major update of the ‘European Air Quality Index’ app. The revamped app will be available in 24 languages and will include information about air quality as well as health recommendations everywhere in the EU. Using the app, citizens can easily find information on air quality and its impacts where they live, work or travel.

The EEA will also publish an updated assessment of air quality and its impacts on human health.

Ahead of the Forum, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has released the 2023 edition of the Urban PM2.5 Atlas. The Atlas pinpoints the sources of air pollution, such as fine particulate matter, by sector for 150 cities in the EU. The data will help cities to design air quality plans, ensuring that measures are targeted at the highest polluting activities. This underlines the importance and urgency of taking both city-specific measures and European level policy action.

The outcomes of the discussions at the Forum will inform the ongoing negotiations between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament on the revision of EU rules on ambient air quality. The Commission proposal aims to align EU air quality standards more closely with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, and Vivianne Heijnen, Minister of the Environment of the Netherlands, will open the proceedings. Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, and Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, deliver keynote speeches on the second day of the Forum.

Background

The Clean Air Forum is organised by the European Commission and this year’s edition is hosted by the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Rotterdam.

Air pollution remains the number one environmental health problem in the EU. According to estimates of the European Environment Agency, about 300 000 deaths can be attributed to air pollution each year in the EU. This type of pollution is the cause of serious illnesses such as asthma, cardiovascular problems, respiratory diseases, lung cancer or strokes. Air pollution also adversely affects the environment and is costly for our economy.

The EU Clean Air Forum is organised every two years, to support implementation of EU legislation and policies related to improving air quality. It brings together stakeholders to exchange experience and good practices that can inform and enhance clean air policies and their implementation. Previous editions took place in Paris in 2017, in Bratislava in 2019, and in Madrid in 2021.

Watch also the latest episode of the Euronews’ series “The Road to Green” which looks into the issue of air pollution.

Quotes

Opening the Clean Air Forum, Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, said:

Delivering on the Green Deal and our zero pollution ambition means delivering on clean air. The benefits of this go much beyond the environment: clean air means healthier people, more social justice and a more efficient economy. And air pollution acts as an accelerator of existing social inequalities, so the green transition needs to happen, and needs to happen now. Clean air is not just a challenge. It’s a win-win opportunity for all of us.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, said:

The air we breathe has become a good deal cleaner over the past decades. But air pollution still affects the health of millions across the EU, and we need to do more to ensure all can breathe clean air. This means improving our legislation, and improving how we implement it. The fourth EU Clean Air Forum offers an opportunity to discuss what and how.

Clean Air policies are of great importance for local and regional communities. The Committee of the Regions participated to the Forum, represented by Una Power, Rapporteur on the Revision of the Ambient Air Quality Legislation and by Marieke Schouten, Rapporteur on the Zero Pollution Action Plan for Air, Water and Soil and Co-chair of the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform. For more details about CoR involvement in the event see here.