Eleven countries exceed air pollutant limits – final report published

Air pollutant emissions have decreased over the last decades, but some are still being emitted above legal limits in the EU, in particular nitrogen dioxides. A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows eleven countries breached at least one emission ceilings in 2012.

Under the National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive, EU Member States have individual emission limits, known as 'ceilings', that were to be achieved by 2010 for four different pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH₃) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC). 'NEC Directive status report 2013' presents the final data, which was first published provisionally in March.