The European Commission launched an open public consultation on Tuesday on the evaluation of the National Emissions Reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive. Citizens and stakeholders are invited to share their views on the NEC Directive through an online consultation that will run until November 26, 2024.
The evaluation of the NEC Directive will assess whether it effectively contributes to the achievement of its objectives: to protect human health and the environment by reducing national emissions of the five main air pollutants, namely fine particulate matter (PM) and particulate matter (PP).2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOX), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), ammonia (NH3) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
One of the main objectives will also be to assess the relevance of this Directive in the light of evolving circumstances, in particular scientific and technical progress and the implementation of other EU climate and energy policies. The evaluation will also help to clarify any obstacles in the implementation of the Directive and explore the potential for simplification and reduction of regulatory costs.
The evaluation also includes a targeted stakeholder consultation gathering expert audience views on specific issues and a one-day stakeholder workshop, announced for 14 October 2024 in Brussels as a hybrid event. The Commission has contracted a dedicated study to support the evaluation and the targeted public stakeholder consultations.
Background
Air pollution is the leading environmental cause of premature mortality, cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases, and is a major driver of biodiversity loss. The EU has been addressing air pollution since the 1970s, developing various tools to improve air quality and protect ecosystems.
The NEC Directive sets national commitments to reduce emissions of five air pollutants (SO2, NOx, NMVOC, NH3 and PM2.5) for the period 2020-2029 and more ambitious reduction commitments for 2030 and beyond. It includes reporting (mandatory and voluntary) of emissions of additional pollutants, without requiring their reduction over time.
Article 13(1) of the NEC Directive requires the European Commission to review this Directive by 31 December 2025 at the latest.
Under the NEC Directive, EU Member States are required to:
- Produce and regularly update national air pollution control programmes, including policies and measures to reduce emissions
- Produce sector-specific air pollutant emission inventories
- Produce emissions projections with estimates of future emissions trends
- Produce emissions inventories with spatially disaggregated information and large point sources (e.g. power plants)
- Monitoring the impact of air pollution on ecosystems
The second implementation report of the NEC Directive, published by the Commission in July 2024, found that overall compliance with national reduction commitments by Member States was relatively good for all pollutants, with the exception of ammonia emissions.
The NEC Directive is one of the three pillars of the EU’s clean air policy, complementing the Ambient Air Quality Directives (2008/50/EC and Directive 2004/107/EC) and emission standards for the main sources of air pollution. It also implements the UNECE Gothenburg Protocol to reduce transboundary air pollution, to which all EU Member States and the EU itself are signatories.
The 2021 Zero Pollution Action Plan sets related EU-wide targets for 2030 (compared to 2005) to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution by 55% and the number of EU ecosystems where air pollution threatens biodiversity by 25%.
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