Activities of Anna ZALEWSKA related to 2020/2091(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of the Ambient Air Quality Directives (debate)
Amendments (27)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to Commission Implementing Decision 2011/850/EU of 12 December 2011 laying down rules for Directives 2004/107/EC and 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the reciprocal exchange of information and reporting on ambient air quality,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12
Citation 12
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
- having regard to the programmes of the Member States, such as Poland's 'Clean Air' programme of September 2018,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas clean air is essential to human health and quality of life, and to the environment, and has been identified as a global health priority in the SDGs;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe2, affecting all regions, socioeconomic and age groups unevenly, causing; whereas, according to some assessments, it causes nearly 400 000 premature deaths per year, and is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, strokes and cancer3, but whereas the figures are only an approximation; _________________ 2‘Ambient Air Pollution: A global assessment of exposure and burden of disease’, World Health Organization, 2016. 3‘Air quality in Europe - 2020’, Report No. 09/20, European Environment Agency, 2020.
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas air quality challenges vary widely depending on where they occur; whereas the main source of problems can be, for example, heating systems in poorer countries or transport in richer countries; whereas these challenges are also affected by natural factors such as topography;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas in some places, especially in countries in the eastern part of the European Union, district heating can be a good alternative to dispersed and highly inefficient individual heating sources, which account for a large proportion of air pollution containing substances that are dangerous to health;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas some comprehensive programmes for addressing the problem of air quality are in their early stages, such as the 'Clean Air' programme in Poland, which was launched in September 2018;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas, given the scale of proceedings initiated by the Commission against Member States for air quality violations, aligning the indicators in the Directive more closely with WHO indices will not improve air quality, but only increase the scale of infringements; whereas the current situation calls instead for countries to be given more support (technological, logistical and financial support and guidelines) to improve the implementation of existing legislation;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
Be. whereas improving air quality also entails changes in the mentality of society that cannot be easily achieved through changes in law, but rather through campaigns to raise awareness that changes, for example to heating or transport systems, although involving a high financial outlay will bring both health and financial benefits in the long term;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises that while overall progress has been made in improving air quality in the EU over the last decade and the EU Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) Directives have been effective in setting common EU air quality standards and facilitating the exchange of information on air quality, they have failed to effectively reduce air pollution and to curb its adverse effectswe still have a significant problem with air pollution levels and their negative impact on health, quality of life and the environment; draws attention to the fact that a high number of Member States do nothave difficulty complying with current air quality standards and have not taken enough action to improve air quality and keep exceedances to a minimum;
Amendment 69 #
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; welcomesnotes that the commitment made in the European Green Deal to revise air quality standards and align them more closely with WHO standards will not, however, have a positive impact on air quality unless there is a substantial improvement in the implementation of the legislation;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Member States to improve the implementation of existing legislation in line with the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union; calls on the Commission to lay down the necessary guidelines and, where necessary, provide financial support under existing instruments in order to improve the Member States' capacity to comply with existing standards;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Notes that the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union are not in themselves an effective tool to encourage the implementation of air quality plans, and recommends that the Commission take additional measures to support Member States and regions in implementing air quality plans;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recommends that revised air quality standards should also cover oin its impact assessment the Commission assess whether non-regulated pollutants 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 pollutantsand quality of life impacts in the EU should be included in the future legislative reform;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the need to guarantee that air quality is being measured by the Member States in appropriate locations and at emissions sources, in order to avoid underestimation of air pollutionNotes that the Directive does not provide detailed guidelines on the locating of measuring stations; stresses, however, the need to guarantee that air quality is being measured by the Member States in locations that ensure representative measurements for a given area, depending on whether or not it is an urbanised area; calls on the Member States to improve their monitoring networks, and on the Commission to enforce the obligations of the Directive in this regard, including by providing support to Member States in setting up monitoring stations, the training and hiring of experts, and ensuring greater accuracy in inspection, control and monitoring;
Amendment 101 #
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 does not provide information on where the highest concrepresentrations of air pollutants occurve exposure to pollution and can lead to both over- and under-measurement; urges the Commission to review and establish new mandatory rules forimprove the guidelines on locating monitoring stations and sampling points;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the announcement of the Commission’s Zero Pollution Action Plan; emphasises that air pollution is a burden that requires a holistic approach; alconsiderts that any new measures will be worthless if air quality is notshould be properly prioritised and mainstreamed in allin EU policies, including EU emission source legislation; notes that other EU policies, such as on climate, energy, transport, industry, agriculture and waste, while ensuring better synergies between all policy areasshould have a positive impact on air quality; calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate more closely in all areas and at all levels in order to help local authorities achieve cleaner air;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that evaluations of existing measures must take into account the long implementation deadlines of legislation such as the IED and MCP directives; recommends that the Commission mobilise additional financial support from existing funds where appropriate;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that Air Quality Plans (AQPs), a key requirement of the AAQ Directives in cases when Member States do not comply with air quality standards, are often ineffective in terms of delivering their expected results; calls on the Commission to consult closely with the Member States to establish a set of minimum requirements and share best practices for both the drafting and implementation of AQPs;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets the fact that the AAQ Directive neither requiresNotes that Member States to report on the implementation of AQPs toannually on air quality to the European Environment Agency (EEA); notes theat Commission nor to update them when new measures are adopted or when the progress is insufficient; callsDecision 2011/850/EU imposes minimum requirements on Member States concerning the establishment of air quality plans; calls, however, on the Commission to establish a yearlymore transparent and resporting oblignsive system for exchanging information foron the implementation of AQPs in the Member States;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes that Member States must have the possibility to implement existing AQPs; notes that changes to plans, legal frameworks and monitoring obligations also create significant costs, and that new financial instruments may be necessary to cover those costs;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Alerts that as of October 2019, 32 infringement procedures against 20 Member States remained pending; considers that persistent exceedances of air quality standards by Member States indicate not only their lack of commitment to adopting more effective measures, and the ineffectiveness of the current enforcement procedure; urges the Commission to review the current enforcement procedure for the AAQ Directivebut also that the problem of air quality is an extremely complex issue, with the solutions requiring action that interferes deeply with production methods, transport and lifestyles and often involves significant investment and unpopular decisions;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Considers that public information and awareness have a critical role in addressing air pollution; draws attention to the factcalls on the Commission, thate Member States, and the relevant regionsal and cities define air quality indices differently, and urges the Commission and Member States to establish a standardised air quality classification system applicable across the EUlocal authorities to undertake awareness-raising campaigns on the benefits of better air and programmes to facilitate investment, both industrial and consumer, in improving air quality;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that there are positive trends in the practical implementation of Member States’ obligations under the AAQ Directives in terms of informing the public about the state of air quality; stresses that in some cases information on the possible health effects of air pollution provided by Member States iscan be scarce, unclear and not easily accessible for the public; calls on the Commission and Member States to launch, where appropriate, to launch new or improve existing public information campaigns on topics such as different types of air pollutants and their impact on human health or current local levels of air pollution, and to publish rankings of the best and least progress made bytake greater account of grassroots initiatives, which are increasingly highlighting local air quality zoneproblems;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16