European Commission clamps down on PM10 particles
March 22, 2010
The European Commission has revealed that it is pursuing infringement proceedings against five countries that have failed to comply with the EU's air quality standards for dangerous airborne particles known as PM10. These particles, emitted mainly by industry, traffic and domestic heating, can cause asthma, cardiovascular problems, lung cancer and premature death.
The Commission has decided that Slovenia and Sweden will have to answer to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), while final written warnings have been sent to Cyprus, Portugal and Spain. In a separate case, Bulgaria is to receive a final written warning over its failure to control concentration levels of sulphur dioxide.
EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "Air pollution is bad for our health. Member States must comply with EU air quality standards quickly and reduce emissions. I am pleased to see that, over recent years, we have met PM10 limit values in a number of areas throughout Europe, but much more effort is still needed if we want full compliance."
The Commission is continuing to adopt decisions on the notifications of time extensions submitted by Member States and has warned that further infringement procedures may be launched if it raises objections to the requests.
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