Activities of Pär HOLMGREN related to 2020/2091(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of the Ambient Air Quality Directives (continuation of debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation of the Ambient Air Quality Directives: Directive 2004/107/EC and Directive 2008/50/EC
Amendments (32)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Stresses that air pollution is one of the main causes of premature deaths, with the EEA having estimated a number of over 400,000 annual deaths at EU level, which is around ten times more than car accident-related deaths, and amounts to nearly 5 million of Years of Life Lost;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1 a. Points to scientific evidence of the negative impact of road transport emissions for respiratory diseases and other major health problems; highlights recent judicial decisions establishing direct causality between long-term road traffic exposure and respiratory diseases eventually causing death, as well as on air pollution effects of worsening health conditions in the home country as a reason to halt deportation;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1 b. Recalls that according to the 2018 Air quality report by the EEA, more than 50% of the population were exposed to most of the main pollutants;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
-1 c. Underlines that long-term exposure to high levels of air pollutants makes the population more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 and similar viruses, due to weakened respiratory and immune systems;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that, while transport- related emissions of most pollutants have fallen substantially in recent decades, persistent hotspots remain in the EU, where levels of air pollution are too high – especially in urban areas, where still more than one-in-six of its inhabitants are exposed to air pollution concentrations above EU air quality standards; is particularly concerned that in 2016 at least three quarters of the EU urban population were exposed to concentration of particulate matter exceeding the WHO guidelines;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls the huge discrepancies in how and where ambient air pollution is measured and monitored in the EU; considers this to be a serious problem and calls for uniform criteria in how air pollution is measured and where sampling stations are installed;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that in order to improve the air quality in these hotspots, it is vital to move towards a more sustainable and less pollutingzero- emission transport system, especially in urban areas, while using all available means in the most effective way and taking into account the most recent scientific evidence;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Underlines that petrol and particularly diesel cars have the greatest detrimental impact on air quality, especially in urban areas;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Calls for the adoption of an end date for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, for instance within the upcoming revision of the Regulation setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles1a; stresses that this end date for internal combustion engines should take effect no later than 2030; _________________ 1aRegulation (EU) 2019/631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 443/2009 and (EU) No 510/2011
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Encourages local and regional authorities to devise and implement evidence-based, strategic sustainable urban mobility plans, aiming at a coordinated planning of policies, incentives and subsidies that target the various sustainable transport sectors and modes, such as measures to encourage the roll-out of e-charging and other alternative fuels,fully additional renewable energy-based alternative fuels, measures that encourage public transport use and discourage car commuting, increased investment in sustainable public transport, infrastructure for active, shared and zero emission transport modes and demand-related measures;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Points out that the Commission’s recent Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy advocates for increasing the modal shares of collective transport, walking and cycling, as well as automated, connected and multimodal mobility, in order to significantly lower pollution and congestion from transport, especially in cities, and improve the health and well-being of citizens;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Calls specifically for due investment in an extensive cycling infrastructure, particularly in urban areas, in order to ensure the safety of all vulnerable road users and increase its attractiveness as an efficient and healthy commuting mode; stresses the importance of ensuring smooth inter-modality between rail and cycling in order to offer sustainable rural-urban commuting; encourages in this sense also the expansion of the EuroVélo network;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Points out that the Clean Vehicles Directive1a requirements are to be transposed by 2 August 2021 at the latest; considers that the public procurement requirements of zero-emission vehicle purchases needed only after 2025 should be further anticipated, with the goal of ensuring 100% zero-emission vehicle fleets by 2030 at the latest; _________________ 1aDirective (EU) 2019/1161 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Welcomes local initiatives such as Low Emission Zones, which should be enlarged to all areas with certain population density, and further developed into Zero Emission Zones;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3 e. Reminds nevertheless that car emissions are not limited to NOx and PM tailpipe emissions, besides CO2, but also PM from tyre and brake wear, as well as road wear;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3 f. Points out that PM2.5 is the pollutant with the highest mortality, mainly being at the origin of strokes, with particulate matter in general causing also cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer and other lung and respiratory diseases, while NO2 causes particularly liver and blood diseases, besides respiratory diseases;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 g (new)
Paragraph 3 g (new)
3 g. Underlines that during the COVID-related lockdowns the air quality improved significantly in the most polluted cities, as a result of reduced road traffic, which also has a relevant impact in terms of noise pollution;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 h (new)
Paragraph 3 h (new)
3 h. Recalls that the Commission committed to a Zero-Pollution Action Plan within its communication on the European Green Deal; considers that updating and ensuring the timely implementation of the current EU air quality legislation is of paramount importance in order to guarantee tackling air pollution successfully;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 i (new)
Paragraph 3 i (new)
3 i. Calls on the Commission to adopt an EU-wide daily limit on particulate matter; stresses that this daily limit, as well as all the other limit values, should be in line with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines on air quality;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 j (new)
Paragraph 3 j (new)
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates the importance of a substantial modal shift from road towards less polluting zero- emission forms of transportation, especially rail, benefiting from 2021 being the European Year of Rail; underlines, in this regard, the urgent need to improve railroad infrastructure, fully implementing ERTMS, removing bottlenecks and completing missing links, especially under the framework of the Trans-European Transport Network, and to further ease and encourage intermodality;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recalls that the European Parliament has recently proposed 2022 as the European Year of Greener Cities, in order to create a culture of appreciation of green spaces and clean air as an important, yet often underestimated, aspect of quality of life for European citizens, particularly for those affecting asthma and other airway disease sufferers, among others, as well as encouraging urban development in this regard, notably favouring initiatives to reduce urban road traffic, and promote and invest in public transport; reminds that on average 60% of public space is occupied by private cars only, although those are 95% of the time idle and hence most of this unused space could be greened and serve other social purposes;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Points to the environmental impact of aviation, which goes beyond its high CO2 emissions, and the negative health effects that noise pollution from airports cause for European citizens; calls for all intra-EU scheduled collective travel under 1,000 km to be carbon-neutral by 2030;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Points to the environmental impact of maritime transport, particularly sulphur dioxide emissions, and the impact this has on coastal communities, both in terms of ecosystems and public health; calls for a comprehensive electrification of short-distance and urban maritime transport, in addition to zero-emission - requirements and infrastructure at berth;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Notes that light pollution, often stemming from transport infrastructure, has also adverse effects on human health and disrupts ecosystems; urges relevant authorities to better monitor the issue and take action to reduce its effects;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the proper implementation and enforcement of the Air Quality Directives1 have proved challenging; urges, therefore, that Directive 2008/50/EC and all other existing legislation relating to transport emissions be properly implemented and enforced first before new measures are proposed.promptly enforced, in parallel with further legislative developments that fully align EU air pollution thresholds with the latest WHO standards; _________________ 1Directive 2004/107/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 relating to arsenic, cadmium, mercury, nickel and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air, OJ L 023 26.1.2005, p. 3, and Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (OJ L 152, 11.6.2008, p. 1).
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Points out that according to the EEA Air quality report in 2019, premature deaths could be reduced yearly between 100.000 to 120.000, and namely 1 million Years of Life saved, only by establishing at EU level the WHO AQG limit for PM 2.5;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Recalls that in the 2005 impact assessment prior to the proposal of the current Ambient Air Quality directive, the Commission assessed the direct costs of complying with their proposal for the directive at between €5 and €8 billion, and the monetised health benefits at between €37 to €119 billion per annum in 2020, thereby concluding that the benefits of the air quality policy greatly exceeded the implementation costs;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Recalls that according to the ECA’s Special Report 23/2018 on Air pollution, the large number of infringement procedures relating to air quality limits show evidences of a widespread implementation gap in air quality legislation across the Union; takes note of the fact that such an implementation gap is prolonged over time particularly due to the recurrent long delays within the different stages of infringement procedures, usually between 6 and 8 years; considers that the 2-year period prior to a notification by the Commission over exceedance of limit values is too long in regard to ensuring a timely enforcement;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Notes with concern the European Court of Auditors’ remarks that Air Quality Plans aimed a remedial of limit value exceedance are often not effective, particularly due to lack of enough targeted measures to reduce the emissions at source;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5 e. Expects that the upcoming EURO 7 regulation for new type approval of vehicles will set ambitious targets, namely with more stringent emission limits based on Real Driving Emissions, as well as including standards for capturing emission of tyres and brakes;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)
Paragraph 5 f (new)
5 f. Reiterates its 2019 call for mandatory retrofitting for the most polluting vehicles still on the road, and particularly for those with diesel engines given the large-scale exceedance of highly polluting NO2 emissions, as revealed with the Dieselgate;