Press Release: Commission proposes clean air strategy to protect human health and the environment

The European Commission on 21 September 2005 proposed a strategy for achieving further significant improvements in air quality across Europe. The Thematic Strategy on air pollution was aiming by 2020 to cut the annual number of premature deaths from air pollution-related diseases by almost 40% from the 2000 level. It also aimed to substantially reduce the area of forests and other ecosystems suffering damage from airborne pollutants. While covering all major air pollutants, the Strategy was to pay special attention to fine dust, also known as particulates, and ground-level ozone pollution because these were considered to pose the greatest danger to human health. Under the Strategy the Commission was proposing to start regulating fine airborne particulates, known as PM2.5, which penetrate deep into human lungs. The Commission also proposed to streamline air quality legislation by merging existing legal instruments into a single Ambient Air Quality Directive, a move that would contribute to Better Regulation.

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