Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD)
Strengthening EU’s clean air standards is a unique opportunity for preventing premature death and the health burden from chronic disease including respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, heart disease, strokes, and cancer.
The Ambient Air Quality Directives (AAQD) tackles critical issues such as the maximum concentration of certain pollutants in ambient air and requirements for public information about air quality. Currently, the health burden of poor air quality remains unacceptably high, as air pollution leads to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and hundreds of billions of euros in health costs each year.
Existing European standards are inadequate and outdated, dating back to 2008. The European Commission put forward a legislative proposal to revise them in October 2022, following the publication of new Air Quality Guidelines by the WHO in September 2021.
Urgently improving air quality is crucial, particularly for vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The revision of the AAQD is currently on the finish line, following a political agreement found on 20 February 2024 by the EU co-legislators. The deal includes updates on maximum levels for the major air pollutants, strengthened monitoring requirements and better information to people including vulnerable groups. The updated law has a huge potential to swiftly lessen people’s suffering, prevent disease, and achieve economic savings
The EU Healthy Air Coalition has been a strong advocate for these changes. We stress the necessity of legally binding limit values for major air pollutants and urge Member States to finalise and implement this law promptly. Science-based clean air standards bring clear added value for everyone, but especially for those most at risk from air pollution, including children, people already suffering from disease and people facing health inequalities. The health of marginalised populations is significantly affected by air pollution and the health of these people is under constant threat from air pollution
