Ambitious Air Quality Plans, disappointing reality

0570591 - ÚSP 2023 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Simon, Rita
Ambitious Air Quality Plans, disappointing reality.
České právo životního prostředí. Roč. 2022, Č. 3 (2022), s. 81-99. ISSN 1213-5542
Grant - others:Státní fond životního prostředí ČR(CZ) 3201400125
Institutional support: RVO:68378122
Keywords : air pollution * National Air Quality Programmes * European air pollution legislation * case law
OECD category: Law
Method of publishing: Metadata only

According to the WHO, air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to public health, although most Member States show a profound lack of ambition to implement European law and comply with their own National Air Quality Programmes. The CJEU has already stated that 13 countries have failed to fulfil their obligations according to Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. Nevertheless, no enhanced activities are visible among the Member States. This article argues, that the low level of enforcement of national air quality agendas is caused, on one hand by the lack of strong and deterrent sanctions for infringement at the European level, and on the other hand, because of allocating policy competencies across competing institutions at national level. This article proposes – after analysing the main European and national gaps, based on the Czech case study – the legislative amendments which seem to be necessary to achieve cleaner air for Europe.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0341892