In Madrid NO2 limits have been regularly breached. Photo: Flickr.com /Luca Sartoni CC BY-SA

Bulgaria & Spain face EU Court over air pollution

On 25 July, the European Commission sent Bulgaria and Spain to court for repeatedly breaching EU air quality standards and failing to guarantee citizens’ right to clean air.

For Bulgaria, the Commission noted “persisting non-compliance” with hourly and daily limit values for sulphur dioxide (SO₂), in the south-east zone, where the four largest coal-fired power plants in Bulgaria are located. In 2017, Bulgaria was referred to the court over poor air quality for breaching limit values for particulate matter (PM₁₀).

In the case of Spain, there have been systematic breaches of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) limits. The decision to refer Spain to the court concerns the urban areas of Madrid, Barcelona and Vallès-Baix Llobregat, where the legal limits for NO₂ have been persistently breached.

Source: EEB and Commission press releases, 25 July 2019.

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Bulgaria & Spain face EU Court over air pollution

In this issue

Not even 1.5°C is good enough

Editorial: IPCC Ocean and Cryosphere report is a powerful diplomatic asset

Capacity is no longer a reason for subsidies to fossil power

Increasing renewable energy targets for the EU

EU law instrumental for cleaning up power plants

Achieving a sustainable food future

Prompt climate action needed to ensure food supplies

Environmental impacts of ship scrubbers

Ship emissions debate continues

Six countries still breach binding air pollution limits

Global SO2 air pollution hotspots mapped

Swedish refinery at crossroads: 2X fossil future contested

Hydrogen choices

In Breif

UK aims for zero-emission ships by 2025

10,000 EU staff call for coal phase-out by 2025

Court rulings on air pollution

Climate change and the Andean cryosphere

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

What we do

Air pollution

Climate Change

Policy initiatives

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