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Industrial activities are part of our modern society and give us many benefits. However industrial pollution & mercury are problems which have an impact on our health and on the environment. The EU is at the forefront in taking action to address this pollution. Did you know there is key information available on industrial emissions around where you live?

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The total ecological footprint of the EU-28 countries increased rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, and has remained relatively constant since the 1980s. However, total biocapacity — the capacity of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste materials generated by humans, using current management schemes and extraction technologies — has changed very little since 1961. The picture is similar for the EEA-39 countries and the wider pan-European region. The constantly increasing  ecological footprint coupled with decreasing biocapacity has resulted in an ever larger deficit which may have negative consequences for the environment both within and outside Europe.  

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Total ecological footprint is represented by the colored areas (as the product of per person footprint and population size); total biocapacity is represented by the areas within red lines. As of 2014, the EU-28 had approximately 500 million citizens, and a biocapacity of 2.2 global hectares per capita.

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Data about the EU emission trading system (ETS). The EU ETS data viewer provides aggregated data on emissions and allowances, by country, sector and year. The data mainly comes from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL). Additional information on auctioning and scope corrections is included.

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Air quality in Europe has improved over the last decades as a direct result of targeted policies and technological improvements. However, between 2015 and 2017, a significant proportion of the urban population in the EU-28 was still exposed to concentrations of certain air pollutants that were above EU limit or target values. The numbers of people exposed were even higher in relation to the more stringent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline values set for the protection of human health. For fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), 6-8 % of the urban population were exposed to concentrations in excess of the EU limit value, while 74-81 % were exposed to concentrations above the WHO guideline value. For particulate matter (PM 10 ), the respective exposure estimates were 13-19 % for the EU limit value and 42-52 % for the WHO guideline value. For ozone (O 3 ), estimates were 12-29 % for the EU target value and 95-98 % for the WHO guideline value. For nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), estimates were 7-8 % in both cases (EU limit value and WHO guideline value).

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Data: 2018

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Accumulated ozone exposure values for crops — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40c) — for 2016, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.

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This database contain policies and measures (PaMs) reported by EU Member States following European Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1522 of 11 October 2018 laying down a common format for national air pollution control programmes under Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants.

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Bathing water monitoring by country. Please note: for the scales 1:5.000.001 and less detailed, data are aggregated by country. In such case, stacked bars show percentage of bathing water quality for coastal and inland waters together. Number of bathing waters within certain category is seen in pop up window which can be turned on with a click on one of the countries. For the scale range 1:5 000.000 to 1:700,001, individual bathing water sites (points) are visible instead of classified stacked charts and are coloured according to the classification of bathing water quality. Symbol size depends on the map scale (in more detailed map scales symbols are bigger). For the scales 1:700,000 and more detailed, symbol of bather in a square appears instead of points. Symbol size depends on the map scale.

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This table shows which EEA member countries have national adaptation strategies and national adaptation plans in place.

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This interactive map gives a European overview of water stress conditions. The information presented may deviate from that available in the EEA member countries and cooperating countries, particularly for those countries where data availability is insufficient in the WISE SoE – Water quantity database (WISE 3). Data on hydro-climatic variables was aggregated from a daily to a monthly scale. Water abstraction data was taken from WISE 3 (annual resolution at the national scale), although there are large gaps in the time series. Therefore, intensive gap filling was performed on water abstraction data and proxies were used to disaggregate the data from the national to the sub-basin scale. Information on water use was mainly modelled on the UWWTP capacities, the E-PRTR database and the Eurostat Population change dataset (online data code [demo_gind]) among others. See the methodology chapter for further explanation of gap filling, and spatial and temporal disaggregation, and the data uncertainties chapter for current data availability. This interactive map allows users to explore changes over time in water abstraction by source, water use by sector and water stress level at sub-basin or river basin scale. The WEI+ has been estimated as the quarterly average per river basin district, for the years 1990-2015, as defined in the European catchments and rivers network system (ECRINS). The ECRINS delineation of river basin districts differs slightly from that defined by Member States under the Water Framework Directive. The Ecrins delineation is used instead of WFD because it contains geo-spatial information on Europe’s hydrographical systems with full topological information enabling flow estimation between upstream and downstream basins, as well as integration of economic data collected at NUTS or country level. In addition to using e WISE SoE – Water quantity database, a comprehensive manual data collection was performed by accessing all open sources (Eurostat, OECD, FAO) including national statistical offices of the countries. This was done because of the temporal and spatial gaps in the data on water abstraction. Moreover, a large part of the stream flow data from LISFLOOD has also been substantially updated by the Directorate-General Joint Research Centre. Similarly, a comprehensive update with climatic parameters has been performed by the EEA based on the E-OBS dataset. Therefore, the time series of the WEI+ presented in the current version might be slightly different for some basins compared with the previous version.

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The total ecological footprint of the EU-28 countries increased rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, and has remained relatively constant since the 1980s. However, total biocapacity — the capacity of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste materials generated by humans, using current management schemes and extraction technologies — has changed very little since 1961. The picture is similar for the EEA-39 countries and the wider pan-European region. The constantly increasing  ecological footprint coupled with decreasing biocapacity has resulted in an ever larger deficit which may have negative consequences for the environment both within and outside Europe.  

Read more

Read more

Total ecological footprint is represented by the colored areas (as the product of per person footprint and population size); total biocapacity is represented by the areas within red lines. As of 2014, the EU-28 had approximately 500 million citizens, and a biocapacity of 2.2 global hectares per capita.

Read more

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The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) ensures public access to information on pollutant releases to the environment and off-site transfers from Europe’s largest industrial facilities. More than 34 000 facilities, across 33 European countries, report every year to this inventory. A decade after its launch, the E-PRTR harbours data on releases and transfers of 91 pollutants across 65 economic activities. It enables citizens and stakeholders to learn about pollution in all corners of Europe, who the top polluters are and whether pollutant emission trends are improving.

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A decade after its launch, the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) continues to prove its value. The online register is a widely recognised tool, used to assess pollution trends and evaluate the effectiveness of EU legislation in various areas, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment published today.

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Data about the EU emission trading system (ETS). The EU ETS data viewer provides aggregated data on emissions and allowances, by country, sector and year. The data mainly comes from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL). Additional information on auctioning and scope corrections is included.

Read more

Air quality in Europe has improved over the last decades as a direct result of targeted policies and technological improvements. However, between 2015 and 2017, a significant proportion of the urban population in the EU-28 was still exposed to concentrations of certain air pollutants that were above EU limit or target values. The numbers of people exposed were even higher in relation to the more stringent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline values set for the protection of human health. For fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), 6-8 % of the urban population were exposed to concentrations in excess of the EU limit value, while 74-81 % were exposed to concentrations above the WHO guideline value. For particulate matter (PM 10 ), the respective exposure estimates were 13-19 % for the EU limit value and 42-52 % for the WHO guideline value. For ozone (O 3 ), estimates were 12-29 % for the EU target value and 95-98 % for the WHO guideline value. For nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), estimates were 7-8 % in both cases (EU limit value and WHO guideline value).

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Data: 2018

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This briefing presents the results of data collected in 2018 for 11 Eionet core data flows. It summarises the evaluation of hundreds of data deliveries received from reporting countries. The purpose of the briefing is to show progress against agreed reporting criteria (timeliness and data quality) in order to allow countries to identify and prioritise the resources they need for regular reporting procedures. The provision of high-quality data by Eionet is fundamental for the EEA to achieve its mission to provide timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy-making agents and the public.

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Accumulated ozone exposure values for crops — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40c) — for 2016, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.

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While emissions of most air pollutants remain on a downward trend across the European Union, emissions of ammonia from the agricultural sector continue to rise, posing a challenge for EU Member States in meeting EU air pollution limits, according to updated data released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) today.

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This database contain policies and measures (PaMs) reported by EU Member States following European Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1522 of 11 October 2018 laying down a common format for national air pollution control programmes under Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants.

Read more

What will Europe’s environment look like in 25 years? Will we achieve our common vision of ‘living well, within the limits of our planet’? Will we be able to limit global warming and build climate-resilient cities surrounded by healthy nature? Europeans are increasingly concerned as recent European Parliament elections showed. Europe’s next generation is also calling for urgent action, but how will their demands for a sustainable future shape Europe’s environment and socio-economic policies? On our 25th anniversary, we are reflecting on how Europe’s environmental knowledge and policy have developed in the last 25 years and how we, the EEA together with its networks, can support efforts towards sustainability in the next 25 years.

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Plastic waste remains a huge and growing problem. But what is the European Union doing to address the issue? Ioannis Bakas, the EEA’s waste prevention expert gives a brief overview of the EEA’s report on preventing plastic waste in Europe, which was published earlier this month.

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Bathing water monitoring by country. Please note: for the scales 1:5.000.001 and less detailed, data are aggregated by country. In such case, stacked bars show percentage of bathing water quality for coastal and inland waters together. Number of bathing waters within certain category is seen in pop up window which can be turned on with a click on one of the countries. For the scale range 1:5 000.000 to 1:700,001, individual bathing water sites (points) are visible instead of classified stacked charts and are coloured according to the classification of bathing water quality. Symbol size depends on the map scale (in more detailed map scales symbols are bigger). For the scales 1:700,000 and more detailed, symbol of bather in a square appears instead of points. Symbol size depends on the map scale.

Read more

This table shows which EEA member countries have national adaptation strategies and national adaptation plans in place.

Read more

Read more

Industrial activities are part of our modern society and give us many benefits. However industrial pollution & mercury are problems which have an impact on our health and on the environment. The EU is at the forefront in taking action to address this pollution. Did you know there is key information available on industrial emissions around where you live?

Read more

This interactive map gives a European overview of water stress conditions. The information presented may deviate from that available in the EEA member countries and cooperating countries, particularly for those countries where data availability is insufficient in the WISE SoE – Water quantity database (WISE 3). Data on hydro-climatic variables was aggregated from a daily to a monthly scale. Water abstraction data was taken from WISE 3 (annual resolution at the national scale), although there are large gaps in the time series. Therefore, intensive gap filling was performed on water abstraction data and proxies were used to disaggregate the data from the national to the sub-basin scale. Information on water use was mainly modelled on the UWWTP capacities, the E-PRTR database and the Eurostat Population change dataset (online data code [demo_gind]) among others. See the methodology chapter for further explanation of gap filling, and spatial and temporal disaggregation, and the data uncertainties chapter for current data availability. This interactive map allows users to explore changes over time in water abstraction by source, water use by sector and water stress level at sub-basin or river basin scale. The WEI+ has been estimated as the quarterly average per river basin district, for the years 1990-2015, as defined in the European catchments and rivers network system (ECRINS). The ECRINS delineation of river basin districts differs slightly from that defined by Member States under the Water Framework Directive. The Ecrins delineation is used instead of WFD because it contains geo-spatial information on Europe’s hydrographical systems with full topological information enabling flow estimation between upstream and downstream basins, as well as integration of economic data collected at NUTS or country level. In addition to using e WISE SoE – Water quantity database, a comprehensive manual data collection was performed by accessing all open sources (Eurostat, OECD, FAO) including national statistical offices of the countries. This was done because of the temporal and spatial gaps in the data on water abstraction. Moreover, a large part of the stream flow data from LISFLOOD has also been substantially updated by the Directorate-General Joint Research Centre. Similarly, a comprehensive update with climatic parameters has been performed by the EEA based on the E-OBS dataset. Therefore, the time series of the WEI+ presented in the current version might be slightly different for some basins compared with the previous version.

Read more

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