Ambient air quality: common strategy for assessment and management

The committee has adopted the report of Mr. Mihail PAPAYANNAKIS (Gr., GUE) on the proposal for a Council Directive on ambient air quality assessment and management. This Commission proposal updates and extends earlier legislation on ambient air quality as outlined in the 5th Action Programme and has 4 objectives: - to establish a common framework by which air quality can be assessed and managed in the Community, for limiting or preventing harmful effects on human health and on the environment as a whole; - to inform the general public about the quality of ambient air; - to maintain good air quality and improve poor air quality and - to reform existing Community legislation regarding ambient air pollutants. Criteria are also fixed for the assessment in order to have a coherent system. Limit values, alert thresholds, location of monitoring sites, measurement methods and other specific criteria will be set on for each pollutant through Acts under the Directive which will be agreed by Council.