The European Commission has referred Spain and Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the EU for their failure to protect citizens from air pollution.
“We are taking these steps because air pollution is still the biggest environmental health problem in the European Union, responsible for some 400,000 premature deaths each and every year,” said EU environment commissioner Karmenu Vella on Thursday (25 July).
The court referrals are the final step the commission can take in the so-called infringement procedure, which is the main legal tool the commission has to persuade national governments of EU states to do what they promised.
“We have set a limit to air pollution. When I say we, it is not just the EU, but we’ve set these air pollution limits with the national governments,” said Vella.
Spain has failed to keep the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air below the EU limits which have been legally binding since 2010.
Bulgaria failed to do so with the level of sulphur dioxide, which were already part of EU law when the eastern country joined the EU in 2007.
Member states’ failure to respect air quality levels is one of the most pressing environmental and health issues the EU is facing.
