Air Quality

20 June 2016

Air quality deal in sight, but at what cost?

Environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg today (Monday) suggested they were moving closer to a deal on air pollution limits. However, away from the cameras, many countries, […]

1 July 2016

EU member states overrule efforts for ambitious air pollution deal

Despite efforts by the European Commission and the European Parliament to put in place ambitious targets to slash air pollution, EU member states have agreed a […]

11 October 2016

Lifting Europe’s Dark Cloud: How cutting coal saves lives

Effective emissions limits could save thousands of lives every year, yet more than half of coal power stations in Europe are operating with ‘permission to pollute’ […]

21 October 2016

Now the talking’s over, it’s time for action to cut power plant emissions

Today a major step has finally been made towards agreeing new environmental standards for European power plants. Stakeholders provided final opinions on a revised technical document […]

23 November 2016

EU air pollution law approved: now is the time for action

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) meeting in Strasbourg have finally approved new EU-wide air pollution rules. Louise Duprez, EEB Senior Policy Officer, said: “This is […]

15 February 2017

EEB welcomes European Commission action on illegal air

The EEB welcomes today’s announcement that the European Commission will pursue infringement proceedings against France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK for having failed to protect […]

4 April 2017

European petition demands government action to slash toxic coal deaths

Effective air pollution limits could save more than 20,000 lives every year, yet some national governments are threatening to veto EU measures to tackle toxic pollution. […]

5 April 2017

Air quality ruling is tip of the iceberg

The EEB welcomes today’s ECJ judgement on Bulgaria’s illegal air. [1] The ruling sends a warning signal to at least 18 other countries, including France, Germany, […]

28 April 2017

Cleaner air the winner after Germany fails to block new EU rules

Campaigners have welcomed the EU’s adoption of new air pollution limits that could significantly reduce toxic emissions from Europe’s dirtiest power plants. The new rules, which […]

28 July 2017

National governments must not use legal loopholes to hide failure on air quality

Nine EU Member States have asked the European Commission for permission to pollute above national limits set in EU law. Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, […]

31 July 2017

New rules hasten end for Europe’s dirtiest power plants

Europe’s most polluting power plants, including many large coal-fired power stations, will be forced to clean up or close down thanks to new EU rules adopted […]

17 August 2017

The clock is ticking: new rules set deadline for dirty plants

The European Commission has today published new standards for Europe’s most polluting power plants, including many large coal-fired power stations. Plants now have four years to […]