Search

Policy Department A provides high-quality expertise, up-to-date analysis and independent research to the committees it supports: ECON, EMPL, ENVI, ITRE and IMCO. This brochure focuses on the Policy Department services for the ENVI Committee.

Air quality monitoring at fixed sites is a major instrument provided for in the Ambient Air Quality Directive to check compliance with limit or target values, which have been set for the protection of human health. This study analyses the criteria for the location of monitoring sites in five Member States to identify ambiguous provisions that might lead to different assessments of air pollution exposure.

In view of the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) under the United Nations Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018, the study by Neier et al. 2018 provides an overview of the current state of play of International Climate Negotiations. While it introduces the UNFCCC, its bodies and key terms, as well as milestones and key players in international climate negotiations, it summarises the negotiation process under the UNFCCC, related international developments as ...

European environment policy rests on the principles of precaution, prevention and rectifying pollution at source, and on the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Multiannual environmental action programmes set the framework for future action in all areas of environment policy. They are embedded in horizontal strategies and taken into account in international environmental negotiations. Last but not least, implementation is crucial.

Air pollution harms our health and our environment. It mainly stems from industry, transport, energy production and agriculture. The EU air quality strategy pursues full compliance with existing air quality legislation by 2020 and sets long-term objectives for 2030. The Environmental Noise Directive helps to identify noise levels within the EU and to take the necessary measures to bring them down to acceptable levels. Separate legislation regulates noise emission from specific sources.

At the UN climate conference in Paris in December 2015, Parties worldwide agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, while improving energy efficiency by 27% and increasing the share of renewable energy sources to 27% of final consumption. A key mechanism in fighting climate change is the EU Emissions Trading System.

This study was commissioned by Policy Department A at the request of the committee of inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector (EMIS). It provides a comparative study on the differences between the EU and US legislation on emissions in the automotive sector, covering the emissions standards themselves; the systems for their implementation and enforcement, including approval systems for vehicles; and the respective regimes for prohibiting the use of defeat devices.

This study looks at the discrepancy in NOx emissions between type-approval tests and real-world driving. It examines the legal stakeholder obligations with regard to emission measurements in the European type-approval process and offers insights into the practical implementation of type-approval procedures throughout the EU. This study was provided by Policy Department A at the request of the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS).

Study in focus: The study summarises the developments leading to the adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015 and provides an overview of its contents. The further implementation process and the roles of the main Parties and other stakeholders are discussed, as well as related international developments and the challenges of the climate change conference in Marrakesh (COP 22) from 7 to 18 November 2016.

Exposure to elevated air pollution levels has substantial negative impacts on human health and the environment. The main pollutants are particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). The Ambient Air Quality Directive therefore sets limit and target values for the concentration of air pollutants. Thresholds for particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are exceeded in several Member States.