Brussels, 3 December 2025 — The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) warns that the EU must urgently extend its clean air commitments beyond 2030, following the announcement at the Clean Air Forum that the European Commission will take no new legislative action now and will instead focus on implementing existing rules, including the recently revised Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD).

At the Forum, the Commission presented a Staff Working Document evaluating the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive (NECD) — the cornerstone EU law requiring Member States to reduce overall national emissions of five key air pollutants.

The NECD sets National Emission Reduction Commitments (NERCs) for 2020 and 2030 onwards, but contains no further obligations beyond 2030, leaving a widening gap between EU rules and what science demonstrates is required to protect health and the environment.

Moreover, the Commission’s evaluation, published yesterday, finds implementation remains a struggle, despite other positive developments such as the decoupling of pollution from economic growth. As highlighted by European Commission’s Director General in DG Environment, Mr. Patrick Child, “health benefits exceed costs, by a factor of four.” With the Commission Staff Working Document stating that this factor actually rises to thirteen.¹

“The science is clear: Europe cannot stop acting in 2030. We need stronger commitments, and we cannot wait for them,” said Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General at the EEB, speaking at the Forum. Adding, “Those who ignore the scientific evidence, with air pollution contributing to several diseases, including asthma, cancer and premature deaths, must take responsibility for the consequences.”

In addition, existing sectoral policies are not sufficient to deliver the cuts needed to meet the EU’s zero-pollution and climate-neutrality objectives. The EEB stresses that, alongside full implementation of the existing NECD and of the updated AAQD, the EU must strengthen action in laggard sectors such as shipping, domestic heating and agriculture.

The EU’s NECD partly mirrors the international Gothenburg Protocol under the UNECE framework, the Protocol is now under revision and it is likely not going to be ready before 2028 . This means the EU can and should set its own post-2030 emission reduction commitments domestically, to protect health, the environment and the climate, without waiting for international decisions. While actually contributing with a meaningful and concerted position to the international debate happening in Geneva, and raising its level of ambition.

While the Commission focuses on implementation for now, the EEB emphasises that a clear post-2030 emissions-reduction pathway is essential to avoid stalling progress, to secure predictability to support long-term planning and lead a race to the top in the negotiations in Geneva. 

“Obviously, the definition of emission reduction commitments at EU level for post-2030 should happen through a proper decision-making process and be supported by a solid and comprehensive Impact Assessment work”, said Margherita Tolotto, Policy Manager for Air and Noise at the EEB. “Treating this as an omnibus exercise, a method that undermines hard-earned rules and weakens crucial provisions, would be totally out of touch with what science and people are calling for.”

END

1. ‘Benefits of policies affecting air quality significantly outweigh their costs, with a benefit-cost ratio of 4:1 or 13:1 (the difference between ratios is driven by the approach to valuing mortality effects)’. P. 41-2, Staff Working Document.

Media contact:
Margherita Tolotto
Policy Manager for Air and Noise.
Email: margherita.tolotto@eeb.org