Brussels, 15 June 2026 – The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) today launched the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) Transposition Tracker, a new online tool monitoring how EU Member States are transposing the revised AAQD into national legislation. 

The revised AAQD, adopted in 2024, sets stricter EU air quality standards and introduces stronger provisions on air quality planning, monitoring, public participation and information, access to justice, and compensation for damage to human health caused by illegal air pollution. 

Member States must transpose the new Directive into national law by 11 December 2026. With the tracker, the EEB and its member organisations active in the countries it covers are providing an overview of national progress, highlighting good practices, identifying gaps and risks, and helping promote ambition and transparency, Including through meaningful public participation.  

Air pollution remains the largest environmental health risk in Europe, contributing to around 300,000 premature deaths and a wide range of illnesses each year and disproportionately affecting children, older people, and communities living near major sources of pollution.

Margherita Tolotto, Head of Air and Noise at the European Environmental Bureau, said:

“Adopting the revised AAQD was an important milestone, but the real test begins now, with Member States showing how serious they are about cutting air pollution, starting from setting clear and ambitious national rules which go beyond the minimum requirements established by the Directive itself. This tracker helps shine a light on progress, identify barriers, and support accountability throughout the process.” 

The tracker assesses national developments across five key areas: 

• Progress of the transposition process; 

• Level of ambition compared to minimum EU requirements; 

• Public participation and access to justice; 

• Implementation tools such as air quality plans and monitoring systems; 

• Risks and red flags that could undermine effective implementation. 

The comparative analysis already reveals significant differences in how Member States are approaching implementation. While several countries covered by the tracker have launched public consultations or stakeholder engagement processes, Italy is currently the only country where no public consultation has been announced so far. More broadly, information on the status of the transposition process and the government’s plans remains difficult to access, raising concerns about transparency, predictability and meaningful public participation in the implementation of the Directive.

Users can explore country-by-country information for the Member States covered, compare developments across Europe, and access more detailed national analyses, including timelines, consultations, draft legislation where available, and emerging concerns. The tracker currently covers a selected group of Member States and will continue to expand as additional information becomes available through EEB’s network of national partners. 

Margherita Tolotto, Head of Air and Noise at the European Environmental Bureau, added:

“Clean air is a fundamental right, not a privilege. The involvement of civil society in this process is clearly an added value, not a threat. Through this overview we hope to support transparency, effective implementation and ultimately better health and environmental outcomes for people across Europe. The tracker also helps identify where transparency and public participation are falling short, allowing governments to learn from good practices elsewhere and strengthen their implementation efforts.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The AAQD Transposition Tracker is coordinated by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) with contributions from national environmental organisations across Europe. 

The revised Ambient Air Quality Directive entered into force in December 2024 and must be transposed into national law by Member States by 11 December 2026. 

The tracker is available at: https://eeb.org/en/aaqd-tracker/