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Environment

Noise pollution from the main sources

EU rules regulating environmental noise from the main sources.

As well as the Environmental Noise Directive, the EU regulates noise emissions at source. This includes legislation on harmonized noise limits for motor vehicles, including their noisy tyres, railway vehicles, airplanes and drones, outdoor equipment and other products that generate noise. Road traffic is the most dominant source of environmental noise in Europe, followed by rail traffic noise, aircraft noise then industrial noise.

The list below outlines key EU legislation.

Aircraft noise

Follow-up by DG for Mobility and Transport

Limitation of the noise from aeroplanes - Regulation No 2018/1139 and Regulation No 748/2012 

Operating restrictions at Community airports - Regulation No 598/2014

Regulation of chapter 3 civil subsonic aeroplanes - Directive 2006/93/EC

Railway noise

Follow-up by DG for Mobility and Transport

Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI) on Noise - Regulation (EU) No 1304/2014

Noise charging - Regulation (EU) 2015/429

Connecting Europe Facility - Regulation (EU) 2021/1153

Noise from Equipment for Use Outdoors

Follow-up by DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors - Directive 2000/14/EC