In December 2013, the European Commission (EC) released a new Clean Air Policy Package that plots air pollution reduction, air pollution transport, and human health goals through 2030.  In the policy package and associated materials, the EC recognizes that there is widespread exceedance of air quality standards in many member states and particularly in and around large cities.  The new package includes a revised national emission ceilings directive (NECD) for the six major air pollutants and a proposal for a new directive to reduce pollution from such medium-size combustion installations as energy plants for street blocks or large buildings and small industry installations.

Major pollutants

In its existing regulations, the EC concentrates on most of the same major air pollutants as the United States, specifically PM, ground-level ozone, SO2, NOx, ammonia, VOCs, and methane.  According to the EU, the number of air quality management zones not in compliance with PM-10 and NO2 standards amount to 32 percent and 24 percent, respectively, and 40 million citizens are still exposed to PM-10 levels above the EU limit values.  Also similar to problems faced by individual U.S. states, European nations are plagued by air pollution coming from other EU members. 

National ceilings

The new policy focuses on national ceilings rather than air quality standards.  Ceilings are air pollution reduction commitments associated with individual member states.  The current air quality standards, which were established in 2010, are local concentration limit values for the air pollutants most harmful to health, which must be respected everywhere in the European Union (EU).  Achieving air quality standards often requires a combination of local measures addressing particular air pollution hot spots, which member states select and implement at their discretion, and actions to reduce background emissions by implementing the NECD. 

The EU notes that many member states are currently facing infringement cases for failing to comply with existing air quality standards; hence, proposing stricter standards at this point may be counterproductive, says the EC.  “Instead, the new policy proposes stricter emission ceilings in the revised NECD and, together with new source legislation, this will pave the way for tightened standards in the Ambient Air Quality Directive at a later stage,” says the EC. 

According to the EU, the objectives of the package will be implemented by further tightening of emissions ceilings under the NECD for the period 2025 and to 2030.  A fully implemented baseline will reduce impacts in 2020 by 36 percent for PM-2.5; 23 percent for ozone; 17 percent for eutrophication; and    61 percent for acidification, compared with 2005. The preferred option for 2025 to 2030 will reduce impacts by 50 percent for PM-2.5; 33 percent for ozone; 35 percent for eutrophication; and 85 percent for acidification, compared with 2005.  (The EU notes that some current U.S. air quality regulations [e.g., for PM] are more stringent than existing EU limits.)

Benefits

The EC estimates that the clean air policy package will avoid 58,000 premature deaths, save 123,000 square kilometers (km2) of ecosystems from nitrogen pollution, save 56,000 km2 of Natura 2000 areas (high-value habitats) from nitrogen pollution; and save 19,000 km2 of forest ecosystems from acidification. 

The EC also estimates that the policy will save euros 40 to 140 billion in external costs and provide about €3 billion in direct benefits due to higher productivity of the workforce, lower healthcare costs, higher crop yields, and less damage to buildings.  Also, once productivity improvements are taken into account, the policy would add around 110,000 jobs, asserts the EC.

The new EC policy