European air quality information reported by EEA member countries, including all EU Member States, as well as EEA cooperating countries. The EEA’s air quality database consists of a multi-annual time series of air quality measurement data and calculated statistics for a number of air pollutants. It also contains meta-information on the monitoring networks involved, their stations and measurements.
The Directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants (LCP Directive, 2001/80/EC) applies to combustion plants with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 50 MW, irrespective of the type of fuel used (solid, liquid or gaseous).
Indicator Assessment
20 Dec 2016
The emissions of a number of compounds categorised as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) decreased between 1990 and 2014 in the EEA-33, e.g. hexachlorobenzene (HCB) by 95 %, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by 71 %, dioxins and furans by 85 % and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by 60 %.
Although the majority of countries report that POP emissions fell during this period, some report that emissions increased.
In 2014, the most significant sources of emissions for these POPs included the ‘Commercial, institutional and households’ (13 % of HCB, 39 % of dioxins and furans, 54 % of PAHs and 15 % of PCBs) and ‘Industrial processes and product use’ (16 % of HCB and 51 % of PCBs) sectors.
Indicator Assessment
19 Dec 2016
Anthropogenic emissions of the main air pollutants decreased significantly in most EEA member countries between 1990 and 2014:
emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) decreased by 51 % (55 % in the EU-28);
emissions of sulphur oxides (SO x ) decreased by 80 % (88 % in the EU-28);
emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) decreased by 57 % (60 % in the EU-28);
emissions of ammonia (NH 3 ) decreased by 11 % (24 % in the EU-28);
emissions of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) decreased by 36 % (36 % in the EU-28).
The EU-28 met its continuing obligation to maintain emissions of NO x , SO x , NH 3 and NMVOCs below legally binding targets, as specified by the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD). A number of EU Member States reported emissions that were above their NECD emission ceilings: three countries (Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg) exceeded emission ceilings for NO x , five (Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain) exceeded emission ceilings for NH 3 and two (Ireland and Luxembourg) exceeded emission ceilings for NMVOCs. There are no emission ceilings for primary PM 2.5 .
Three additional EEA member countries (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) had emission ceilings for 2010 that were set in the Gothenburg Protocol under the 1979 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Liechtenstein and Norway reported emissions above their NH 3 ceilings.
Emission reduction commitments for 2020 have been set under the revised Gothenburg Protocol for NO x , SO x , NMVOC, NH 3 and PM 2.5 . The EU-28 as a whole is on track to meet its reduction commitments.
The map shows the 90.4 percentile of the PM10 daily mean concentrations, representing the 36th highest value in a complete series. It is related to the PM10 daily limit value, which allows 35 exceedances of the 50 μg/m3 threshold over a 1 year period. The red and dark-red dots indicate stations with exceedances of this daily limit value. Only stations with more than 75 % valid data have been included in the map.
The figure shows the annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) observed at traffic stations in 2014.
Table
EU progress in meeting emission ceilings (for compliance and for environmental objectives) of the four main air pollutants regulated in the 2001 National Emission Ceilings Directive
GIS Map Application
16 Apr 2014
The maps were derived for 2007, 2008 and 2010 primarily from Airbase background station monitoring data, few EMEP station monitoring data, supplemented with altitude, meteorological ECMWF data and EMEP concentration modelling data. The dataset has been reorganised in order to improve data harmonization among years and to facilitate storage and processing of the interpolated maps for the EEA data services.
GIS Map Application
16 Apr 2014
The maps are derived primarily from Airbase background station monitoring data, few EMEP station monitoring data, supplemented with altitude, meteorological ECMWF data and EMEP concentration modelling data. The dataset has been reorganised in order to improve data harmonization among years and to facilitate storage and processing of the interpolated maps for the EEA data services.
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