Air pollution: ozone in ambient air, emission ceilings

The Conciliation Committee formally approved the agreement reached in October on the "ozone" directive. The main points of the agreement are as follows: - Member States will be obliged to take measures to achieve a target value by 2010 for the protection of human health, i.e. ensuring that ground-level ozone does not exceed 120 microgrammes/m3 on more than 25 days a year. The 2010 target will be binding, as Parliament had insisted, except where Member States can prove that it could not be achieved by proportionate measures; - As Parliament had demanded, 2020 is set as the benchmark date for the Commission, when it reviews the directive, to assess the Community's progress in achieving the long-term objectives. Particular attention will be paid in the review process to the effects of ozone on the environment and on human health, especially on sensitive population groups; - Member States will be required to draw up short-term action plans for risk zones and make these available to the public; - Member States will be required to provide information to the public and report to the Commission on the impact of overshooting target values; - Member States' performances in meeting the long-term objectives will be compared in an annual overview published by the Commission. �