EU leaders: reaffirm Europe’s leadership in clean air policies

The EU’s current limit values for air pollution are out of touch with the science-based WHO guidelines. The EU annual limit value for particulate matter (PM2.5), for example, is five times higher than the WHO guideline (25 vs. 5 micrograms per m3), and the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limit four times higher (40 vs. 10 micrograms per m3). The European Commission’s ‘Zero Pollution Action Plan’ only refers to aligning EU limits ‘more closely’ with the WHO guidelines, which would result in tolerating dangerous levels of air pollution. Cities and citizens need clear, understandable and fully science-based limit values to take effective action and communicate necessary changes.

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