Activities of Frédérique RIES related to 2020/2091(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of the Ambient Air Quality Directives (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of the Ambient Air Quality Directives: Directive 2004/107/EC and Directive 2008/50/EC
Amendments (13)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas “the Lancet Planet Health" published a study on 19 January 2021 on the assessment of the impact of air pollution on mortality in almost thousand cities in Europe, whereas it was found that the top 10 cities where the effects of automobile pollution due to NO2 are the least perceptible are made up exclusively of northern European cities;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas a recent decision of a local court ruled that the government of Brussels Region, where the European institutions are based, is legally forced within six months to place air quality measuring systems on the busiest roads, such as “rue de la loi”, that must measure the concentration of nitrogen dioxide, course particulate matter (known as PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5);
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Emphasizes that within most part of European territory there has been an increase in a number of pathologies linked to air pollution, such as asthma, neurotoxic diseases and diseases caused by endocrine disruptors, which justifies not only the full application of European legislations but also stricter sanctions by the Commission in the event of repeated non-compliance by the Member States;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Stresses that, according to data collected by the European Environment Agency, and despite the reduction in PM10 emissions, the majority of the urban population in European countries monitored between 2000 and 2015 is exposed to concentrations above the annual guideline value recommended in the WHO guidelines;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that AAQ Directives are based on air quality standards that are now 15 to 20 years old, and that some of them are much weaker than current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and the levels suggested by the latest scientific evidence on human health impacts; welcomes the commitment made in the European Green Deal to revise air quality standards and align them more closelysks for a full and complete alignment of EU standards with WHO standardguidelines;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Insists on the fact that the WHO guidelines are currently being revised and that their publication is now imminent; calls therefore for the setting up of a mechanism for the systematic adjustment of European standards to those of the WHO in order to ensure better environmental health protection;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recommends that revised air quality standards should also cover other non-regulated pollutants, such as ultra- fine particles and black carbon, with relevant health impacts in the EU; highlights the EU’s ambition to lead the transition to a healthy planet, and recalls that in order to become a global leader it should lead by example by adopting, inter alia, ambitious quality standards for all air pollutants;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Acknowledges the fact that Member States have established an air quality monitoring network based on common criteria defined by the AAQ Directives, with more than 4 000 monitoring stations and 16 000 sampling points; points out that site location provisions involve multiple criteria and offer a degree of flexibility which can make verification more difficult, and which often generate data that doess situations in which monitoring networks in cities do not provide information on locations where the highest concentrations of air pollutants occur; urges the Commission to review and establish new mandatory rules for locating monitoring stations and sampling points, creating the risk that exceedances of limit values go unnoticed; urges the Commission to provide immediate guidance to Member States, through an implementing act in accordance with Article 28 of Directive 2008/50/EC, on how to set up their monitoring networks, without waiting for the revision of the AAQ Directives, as announced in the Fitness Check and in the Green Deal Communication; calls on the Commission, in the framework of the proposals for revised AAQ Directives, to review and establish new mandatory rules for locating monitoring stations and sampling points, building inter alia on the guidance provided in the implementing act, so as to guarantee accurate and consistent air quality monitoring;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Considers that a holistic approach to combating air pollution is compatible with a case-by-case analysis of the specific characteristics of each pollutant, for example for ozone, a colourless and odorous gas, which is not a primary pollutant and the prevention of which requires measures to reduce precursors (NOx and VOCs) on a long-term basis;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Urges the Commission and the Member States to strengthen all emissions legislation; underlines that reducing emissions at source is the only effective way to guarantee calerts that most Member States will not comply with their 2020 and 2030 emissions reduction commitments established under the NEC directive; regrets that almost all Member States have failed to implement sufficient measures to comply with their 2020 obligations; is concerned that compared to the latest available data of 2018, 10 Member States needed to reduce their ammonia emissions by up to 10% in less than 2 years and for PM2.5 and NOx, 6 and 5 Member States, respectively, needed to reduce their emissions by up to 30% or more to comply with the 2020 ceilings1a; calls on the Commission to rapidly start infringement procedures to enforce the emission reduction commitments; concurs with the findings of the Second Clean aAir; alerts that most Outlook that the 15 Member States willat risk of not complying with their 2020 and 2030 emissions reduction commitments established under the NEC directive; stresses the need for stringent measures to reduce transport emissions, particularly road and maritime transport, aviation, industrial installations, agriculture and energy production; 2030 ammonia reduction commitments should take immediate additional action; calls on the Commission to start infringement procedures in case the national air pollution control programmes are not promptly aligned with the objectives of the Directive; stresses that, even if the 2030 NEC Directive objectives were met, there would still be 250.000 premature deaths due to air pollution and widespread exposure of sensitive ecosystems to excess nitrogen depositions; calls, therefore, on the Commission to revise the NEC Directive and strengthen its emission reduction commitments for 2030 and to also look beyond 2030, setting the target of zero anthropogenic emissions of pollutants by 2050; calls to add methane, mercury and black carbon to the list of pollutants covered by the NEC Directive; regrets the flexibility mechanism introduced under Article 5 of the NEC Directive; highlights that in 2018, 11 Member States requested adjustments to their national emission ceilings1b; is particularly concerned that Member States use the flexibility mechanism to hide NOx emissions of non-compliant diesel vehicles; calls on the Commission to limit the use of emission inventory adjustment to the strict minimum and to consider whether Member States have taken action to compensate for possible unforeseen emissions from certain sectors before applying for an adjustment of emission inventories; _________________ 1a Second Clean Air Outlook, European Commission, 2021. 1bEuropean Parliament resolution of 13 March 2019 on a Europe that protects: Clean air for all.
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Insists on the conclusion of the Second Clean Air Outlook report of the Commission[1] that highlights the likely reduction of the number of premature deaths due to air pollution by around 55% in 2030 compared to 2005 if Member States implemented all measures set up under the existing EU legislation regulating sources of air pollution; [1]Brussels, 8.1.2021- COM(2021) 3 final;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Alerts that, as of October 2019, 32 infringement procedures against 20 Member States remained pendt the time of writing, 31 infringement procedures against 18 Member States are open in relation to the implementation of the AAQ Directives; highlights that these include 13 infringement procedures because of PM10 emissions above the European limit values, 11 because of NO2 emissions and 1 because of SO2 emissions; notes that 6 additional infringement procedures are open because of failures to implement monitoring requirements; notes that the PM10 and SO2 limit values were to be met as of 2005; recognises that some of these infringement procedures are ongoing since 2009; highlights that so far, however, no Member State has been condemned to the payment of financial penalties; highlights that despite ongoing infringement procedures, pollution concentration exceedances continue today; notes that for 2019, 17 Member States reported exceedances of EU air quality standards for NO2, 14 Member States reported exceedances for PM10, 4 reported exceedances for PM2.5 and 1 for SO2; is concerned by the lack of enforcement of the NEC Directive; alerts that since 2010 no infringement procedures were opened with regard to emissions above the ceilings set by the NEC Directive, even though 3 Member States never reported NH3 emissions below their respective ceiling; considers that the persistent exceedances of air quality standards by Member States indicatemplies their lack of commitment to adoptingtake more effective measures, and the ineffectiveness of the current enforcement procedure; urges the Commission to review the current enforcement procedure for the AAQ Directiv to protect their citizens’ health and the environment, in spite of the existing legal obligations; highlights that the long delays before an infringement procedure is launched by the European Commission and the amount of time elapsing between the various infringement procedure steps are making EU enforcement ineffective; calls on the Commission to take legal action as soon as it becomes aware that EU air quality laws are not being implemented and to swiftly follow up with Court referrals and sanctions when violations are established; recalls its observation of 16 January 2020 that procedures have to be more efficient in the field of environmental infringements; is concerned that the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment currently has 23 staff working on the implementation of EU environmental law in 27 Member States; considers this insufficient to ensure proper enforcement; calls on the Commission to make available the necessary financial and human resources to ensure swift follow- up of non-compliance; calls on the Commission to regularly produce clear and comprehensive overviews of the open infringement procedures and to publish without delays its communication exchanges with the non-compliant Member States;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the Commission to update the AAQ Directives to include explicit provisions that guarantee the right of citizens to justice in line with the Aarhus Convention and calls on the Council to facilitate its implementation which is of particular relevance where the Council is acting in its legislative capacity;