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COM (83) 721 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 258 
  
 
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concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
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file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
C0M(8j) 721 final.  
Brussels, 25 November 1983
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL
CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN THE FIELD OF COMBATTING
AIR POLLUTION
COM(R3) ?21 final.

COMMUNICATION TO THE COUNCIL CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN THE 
FIELD OF COMBATTING AIR POLLUTION
INTRODUCTION
1. Over the past ten years there have been great strides under the 
Community's three sucessive environmental action programmes in the 
protection of human health and the environment from the effects of 
atmospheric pollution. In the First and Second Environmental Action 
Progammes.the emphasis was on remedial measures essentially aimed at the 
protection of human health.
f
2. The Third Action Programme adopted in February 1983 represents a 
change to new orientations and emphases. In particular this Programme 
reflects the recognition of the vital need, in future, to adopt a 
preventive approach. The Third Action Programme also lay’ s great stress 
on the need to integrate protection of the environment in the 
development of policy in all other important areas - especially energy, 
industry, agriculture and transport.
3. This Communication: outlines the measur s that have already been
adopted under the First and Second Environment l  Action Programmes; 
describes the current political and scientific context of policy,
and sets out the proposed programme of work.
POLICIES INTRODUCED UNDER THE FIRST AMD SECOND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION 
PROGRAMMES
S
4. Measures to combat air pollution are of three types - air quality 
objectives, emission controls and produ t controls. These three types 
measure are interrelated but they eac^ attack the problem of air 
pollution in a different way:

:2
i) in the context of air quality objectives directives have 
been adopted establishing limit and guide values for sulphur 
dioxide and suspended particulate matter, and for lead 
(80/779/EEC (1) and 82/884/EEC (2) respectively). A draftI
directive setting air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide 1
has been transmitted to the Council (C 258 27 September 1983);
ii) emission controls adopted to date cover only vehicle exhaust ·
emissions. A directive was adopted in 1970 implementing the 
norms established by the Economic Commission for Europe of the 
United Nations (UN-ECE) for carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, 
(70/220/EEC (3). This directive has already undergone four" 
modifications to tighten up controls progressively and to extend 
the range of vehicles covered in line with UN-ECE (74/290/EEC (4), 
77/102/EEC (5), 78/665/EEC (6), and 83/351 /EEC (7); nitrogen 
oxides were added to the controlled pollutants by the 1977 
amendment; .i
!
iii) product controls established at Community level include 
directives dealing with the sulphur content of gas-oil and the 
lead content of petrol (75/716/EEC (8) and 78/611/EEC (9) 
respectively). The directive dealing with the disposal of 
waste oils allows, inter alia, for controls on the processing 
of waste oils in a manner such as to avoid the generation of 
air pollution (75/439/EEC (10)). '
(1) 0J L 229, 30/08/1980
(2) OJ L 378, 31/12/1982
(3) 0J L 76, 06/04/1970
(4) 0J L 159, 15/06/1974
(5) OJ L 32, 03/02/1977
(6) 0J L 223, 14/08/1978
(7) 0J L 197, 20/07/1983
(8) OJ· L 307, 27/11 /1975
(9) OJ l 197, 22/07/1978
(10) 0J L 194, 25/07/1975i
.../... i
■* i

3.
5. The Exchange of Information decisions (75/441/EEC (1) and 
82/459/EEC (2) concerning the concentrations in the atmosphere of 
sulphur dioxide and particulates (and other important pollutants, 
including oxides of nitrogen and heavy metals) are designed to provide 
a framework within which data can be compared and exchanged between 
Member States as well as providing a legal basis for further 
intercomparisons. Specific intercomparison programmes have been, or 
are being*undertaken for sulphur dioxide, suspended particulate matter, 
nitrogen oxides and lead. '
6. At the international level the most important Community activity 
has been in connection with the development and finalisation of the UN-ECE 
Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. The Community, 
alongside the Member States, is a participating member of the Convention.
The Convention focusses on the exchange of information and the encouragement 
of research as means of supporting policy formulation.
7. The Community has also participated actively in the on-going work, 
under the aegis of UNEP, on the development of an international Convention 
to protect the ozone layer. At Community le .1, action to date in this 
context has focussed on reducing the product n and use of chlorofluorocarbons 
(CFCs) (80/372/EEC (3)).
THE CURRENT POLICY CONTEXT
8. There can be no doubt that air pollution issues - and in particular 
those connected with the acid deposition problem - are now a subject of 
increasing public interest. Areas of particular concern are:
i) damage to forests - dir Jack;
ii) acidification of lake and rivers;
iii) damage to buildings ind monuments;
iv) losses of productivity in agriculture and horticulture, and
v) long term effects on human health.
______ .../...
(1
) 0J L 194, 25/07/1975
(2) 0J L 210, 19/07/1982
(3) 0J L 90, 03/04/1980

'9. 1  Air pollution issues will remain high on national and international 
political agendas; and will accordingly be a priority area for Community 
action. In this connection, it is of the highest significance that the 
European Council, meeting at Stuttgart in June 1983, put a whole section 
on the environment into the conclusions of the meeting - and in very strong 
terms. They referred to "the urgent necessity of accelerating, and .  
reinforcing action at national, Community and international level aimed 
at combatting the pollution of the environment". They referred in 
particular to "the acute danger threatening the European forests areas" ·  
and called for "immediate action" to avoid "an irreversible situation"; 
in particular they called upon the Council of Environment Ministers to 
"examine relevant initiatives proposed by the Commission,with a view to 
rapid, significant progress". The European Council also "emphasised the 
importance of reducing the amount of lead in the environment and called 
for progress which may lead to the use of leadless petrol".
10. '  An immediate response to the Stuttgart declaration was the 
organisation at Karlsruhe in September this year of a Symposium on acid 
deposition aimed at establishing the state of scientific knowledge on 
the phenomenon and on technologies for reducing emissions of sulphur 
and nitrogen oxides. It was recognised that the challenge posed by acid 
deposition is a real, serious and urgent one, and that early action must 
be taken to reduce emissions, in particular of sulphurand nitrogen oxides. 
The Symposium strongly endorsed the need for increased research and 
monitoring'efforts in particular to obtain a clearer insight into the 
underlying cause/effect relationships and to develop more effective 
abatement technologies. But the need for further research was not a 
legitimate reason for delaying action.

THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME OF WORK
-11. Two relevant proposals, covering completely new areas, have 
already been made. The first, a proposal for a directive on the combatting 
of air pollution from industrial plants, through the prior authorisation 
of plants and the use of advanced technology according to the 'state of 
the art", has already been submitted to the Council of Ministers (1).
After several preparatory discussions in the Working Group of the Council, 
this proposal will be submitted to the Council for adoption at its meeting 
on 28 November 1983.
12. The second, a draft directive designed to control and reduce 
émissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates from large 
combustion installations, will be transmitted to the Council very shortly. 
This directive will fix emission limit values for new plants and will 
establish overall targets for the reduction of total emissons of these 
pollutants from all plants.
13. These two proposals can be expected to have a significant impact 
in reducing air pollution but they do not represent all that can and must 
be done now to tackle the problem in a compre1 -  nsive way.
14. Further action on 5 points is propose* to reinforce existing 
leg i  si at ion :
(i) Member States are already able to control the impact of local 
sources of pollution in areas in need of special environmental 
protection by laying down values lower than those specified in 
the directive establishing air quality limit values and 
guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates 
(80/779/EEC, Article 4.2 (2)). But no advantage has been
taken up to now of the -  pportunities this power confers; 
there is therefore a r ad to stimulate and to harmonise 
Member States' actior in this respect. Accordingly the 
Commission will need to appeal to Member States to make full and 
appropriate use of the existing legislation;
CD OJ C 139/5, 27/05/1983 
(2) OJ L 229, 30/08/1980

6.
(ii) Directive 75/716/EEC (1) Lays down Limit vaLues for the 
sulphur content of gas-oil. The Commission will, by the end of 
the first haLf of 1984, initiate the necessary procedures to 
review these Limit vaLues;
(iii) A Commission proposaL (ProposaL for a directive concerning the 
use of fueL oiLs with a view to the reduction of sulphur 
emissions (2) )  for a product standard for the suLphur content 
of fuels oil was not agreed by the CounciL because it did not 
cover aLL fueLs. For this reason the Commission withdrew this 
proposaL in 1981. The Commission wiLL now examine the 
possibilities for a revised and extended proposal.
Civ) A proposaL to Limit the emission of poLLutants from the burning 
of used oiLs is being prepared and wilL be presented earLy in 
1984. As weiL as reducing emissions of sulphur dioxide and 
oxides of nitrogen this proposal will have the advantages that 
it will reduce emissions of toxic and dangerous substances 
(such as heavy metaLs - the presence of which distinguishes used 
oiLs from other oiL fuels) and wilL ;lso, indirectly, promote 
the recycling of used oils;
(v) The Commission 1s now working on a comprehensive package of
measures to reduce emissions from certain categories of motor 
vehicLe. Part of this package will be proposals related to the 
lead content of petrol, taking into account the call from the 
Stuttgart European Council for "progress which may lead to the 
use of leadless petrol". The Second ERGA Working Group will 
report to the Commisson before 1  March 1984 and, as requested 
by the Council at their meeting on 16 June 1983, the Commission 
will submit proposals before 15 April 1984. The Commission 
will at the same time make proposals for tighter emission 
standards.
(1) OJ’  L 307, 27/11/1975
(2) 0J C 54, 08/03/1976

:7.
15. These measures will be a substantial first step - but it will only 
be a first step. In order to provide a solid scientific foundation for 
.further developments in policy the Commission will, in parallel with
these measures, initiate a major research and monitoring effort.
16. In the research field particular attention will be devoted to
».
endeavouring to improve:
(i) the data base on pollutant depositions;
(ii) the understanding of cause/effect relationships;
Ciii) abatement technologies; and
(iv) relevant systems studies.
The current COST 61a concerted action, which has already contributed 
substantially to our knowledge of acid precipitation, will be extended.
In addition, increased attention will be given to research on air 
pollution questions through work at ISPRA which will assume a central 
data collection and assessment function and through research undertaken 
under contract with competent institutions in Member States.
17. In the field of monitoring, the Commission has already made 
proposals (included in the proposal concerning the protection of forests 
(COM (83) 375 Final)) for the establishment o a forestry monitoring 
network which will provide data on both deposition and effects. The 
Commission hopes for a positive decision on this proposal from the 
Council in the near future.
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS
18. The 5 points for action listed at paragraph 14 are not set out in 
order of prioritiy and in the future, articularly as the results of research 
and new technological developments b' ome available, the Commission s 
comprehensive strategy will need to *e further developed. Some tentative 
ideas on how the Commission might .xtend its strategy, in particular through 
new ways and means of using market mechanisms to assist in the 
implementation of legislation, include the "global" approach to the setting 
of emission ceilings; and concepts such as emissions trading and banking.

19. It has to be recognised that implementation of these proposals 
will have cost implications, for example in investments in cleaner 
technologies, but there will be significant benefits from reductions 
in damages and possibly from increases in employment. Because it is 
not possible to put an economic value on all aspects of the environment 
which are at risk, in particular on forests and on the cultural heritage, 
and because cause/effect relationships are not fully understood, there is 
a great difficulty in making satisfactory cost-benefit analyses. A recent 
study undertaken for the Commission (1) suggests that the benefits of a 
stringent programme of emissions reduction may be of the same order as 
the costs; but, the Commission intends to pursue further the whole 
cost benefit issue.
20. The Commission will also seek to identify· which measures are 
likely to be more, and which less,cost effective in the long run and will 
examine new opportunities to finance pollution control, in- this context 
the possibilities offered by the ECSC loans will be considered (2).
21. It is of course essential that, in the development of policy to 
combat air pollution, full account is taken of the objectives of, and cost 
implications for,other Community policies. In this context the objectives 
of avoiding technical barriers to trade and distortions of competition,
of the energy strategy, of employment policies and of maintaining the 
competitiveness of European industry are especially significant.
CONCLUSION
22. The Council is inv'ted to take note of this programme of work.
I
(1) "Acid Rain - a Review of the Phenomenon in the EEC and Europe", 
Environmental Resources Limited, June 1983.
(2) O.J. C 146 of 25.11.74