Report from the Commission on the state of implementation of the ambient air quality Directives 80/779/EEC, 82/884/EEC and 85/203/EEC in the period 1997-1999
Date: 2002-11-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: air quality, disclosure of information, environmental protection, environmental standard, pollution control, public health, report

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 07.11.2002
COM(2002) 609 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION

on the state of implementation of the ambient air quality Directives 80/779/EEC,
82/884/EEC and 85/203/EEC in the period 1997-1999

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Introduction.............................................................................................................. 3

Requirements of the directives.................................................................................. 4

Implementation of the directives............................................................................... 5

Overview of exceedances reported by member states................................................ 6

Conclusions.............................................................................................................. 8

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1.

INTRODUCTION

This report summarises the information on air quality in the period 1997-1999 that
to the Commission under the following air quality
Member States have sent
directives:

– Council Directive 80/779/EEC1 on air quality limit values and guide values for
sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates, amended by Directive 89/427/EEC2,

– Council Directive 82/884/EEC3 on a limit value for lead in the air,

– Council Directive 85/203/EEC4 on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide.

The Commission is required to publish reports on the state of implementation of
these “old” air quality directives.5 The new Framework Directive 96/62/EC6 and
Daughter Directive 1999/30/EC7 will replace the requirements of these directives in
stages. In particular, they will replace the air quality thresholds with new ones.
However, as the date by which the new air quality thresholds for the protection of
human health have to be met is several years after 1999/30/EC enters into force, the
old thresholds continue to exist until then and so do reporting requirements under the
old directives.

Apart from the reporting requirements specified in the old directives, there were, in
the period addressed in this report, other mechanisms by which Member States and
the Commission exchange information on air quality. Council Decision 97/101/EC8

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Council Directive 80/779/EEC of 15 July 1980 on air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur
dioxide and suspended particulates, OJ L 229 of 30/08/1980, p. 30-48.
Council Directive 89/427/EEC of 21 June 1989 amending Directive 80/779/EEC on air quality limit
values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates, OJ L 201 of 14/07/1989,
p. 53-55.
Council Directive 82/884/EEC of 3 December 1982 on a limit value for lead in the air, OJ L 378 of
31/12/1982, p. 15-18.
Council Directive 85/203/EEC of 7 March 1985 on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide, OJ L 87
of 27/03/1985, p. 1-7.
Earlier reports on the state of implementation of the directives that are publicly available:
- First annual report from the Commission to the Council on the implementation of the Council
Directive on air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates
(80/779/EEC), Commission of the European Communities, Environment and Quality of Life, 1986
EUR 10393.

- Second annual report from the Commission on the implementation of the Council Directive on air
quality limit values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates (80/779/EEC),
24 March 1988, COM(88) 142 final.

- Communication from the Commission: First annual report on the implementation of the Council

Directive on a limit value for lead in the air (82/884/EEC), 10 January 1990, SEC (90) 1842.

- Report from the Commission on the state of

implementation of ambient air quality directives,

26.07.1995, COM(95) 372 final.

Council Directive 96/62/EC of 27 September 1996 on ambient air quality assessment and management,
OJ L 296 of 21/11/1996, p. 55 - 63
Council Directive 99/30/EC of 22 April 1999 relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen
dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air, OJ L 163 of 29/06/1999,
p. 41-60.
Council Decision 97/101/EC of 27 January 1997 establishing a reciprocal exchange of information and
data from networks and individual stations measuring ambient air pollution within the Member States,
OJ L 35 of 05/02/1997, p. 14-22.

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on exchange of information, and its predecessors 75/441/EEC9 and 82/459/EEC10,
provided a framework for extensive exchange of air quality data and information on
the national monitoring networks. Following the establishment of the European
Environmental Agency and the European Environmental
Information and
Observation Network (EIONET) in 1990, the European Topic Centre on Air Quality
(the predecessor of the current European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change -
ETC/ACC) gradually became the main EU centre for collecting, processing and
reporting air quality information for Member States. On the basis of collaboration in
EIONET and the legal framework set by Decision 97/101/EC on exchange of
information, a systematic exchange has developed, resulting in detailed annual
reports11 on air quality,
including trend analysis and overviews on monitoring
networks.
the ETC/ACC now has the Airbase
through the
Information System, which is publicly accessible via the Internet
AirView facility (http://etc-acc.eionet.eu.int/databases). This system allows the user
to define any overviews of air quality in Europe, with several presentation modes to
choose from. It also provides the user with detailed information on the monitoring
stations.

In addition to these reports,

is substantially smaller

is now publicly
This report will not duplicate the wealth of information that
than the previous report on
available, and hence it
implementation of the directives (COM (95) 372)12.
In this report only the
exceedances reported by the Member States will be summarised. For analyses of air
pollution levels and trends the reader is referred to the overviews given by the
European Environmental Agency, including the annual reports11 on the results of the
exchange of information under Council Decision 97/101/EC, which are based on a
much broader and more complete set of data than the reports submitted by the
Member States under the old air quality directives.

2.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE DIRECTIVES

The directives set limit values, which were not to be exceeded, primarily intended to
protect human health and to contribute to the protection of the environment.
Directives 80/779/EEC and 85/203/EEC also set guide values to aid Member States
in policy making issues. These were intended to improve the protection of human
health and the long-term protection of the environment and to act as reference points
for the establishment of specific schemes within zones determined by the Member
States. A common feature in the directives is the establishment of reference
measurement methods for the pollutants and guidance on monitoring.

The directives required Member States to designate certain areas where they believed
that pollution levels were sufficiently high to result in frequent breach of the limit

9

10

11

12

Council Decision 75/441/EEC of 24 June 1975 establishing a common procedure for the exchange of
information between the surveillance and monitoring networks based on data relating to atmospheric
pollution caused by certain compounds and suspended particulates, OJ L 194 of 25/07/1975, p. 40-46.
Council Decision 82/459/EEC of 24 June 1982 establishing a reciprocal exchange of information and
data from networks and individual stations measuring air pollution within the Member States, OJ L 210
of 19/07/1982, p. 1-7.
European Air Quality in 1997 and 1998, European Topic Centre on Air Quality
COM(95)372 final - Report from the Commission on the State of implementation of ambient air quality
directives.

4

values. The geographical area and population to be covered by these zones were not
to decide these issues
specified in the directives, Member States were left
themselves. These zones could be designated under Article 3 of each of the directives
and are commonly known as “Article 3”. In designating these zones Member States
improvement plans in order to bring
were required to develop and implement
concentrations to below or at the limit value as soon as possible and at the latest by a
fixed date as follows:

80/779/EEC 1 April 1993

82/884/EEC 9 December 1989

85/203/EEC 1 January 1994

It can be seen from the above that concentrations in excess of limit values in zones
designated under Article 3 during the reporting period are considered as an
infringement of the directives. Member States are required to inform the Commission
about values in excess of the limit value whether they occur inside or outside areas
designated under Article 3. Fixed procedures are listed in the directives (80/779/EEC
Article 7, 82/884/EEC Article 5 and 85/203/EEC Article 7) for reporting this
information to the Commission. A delay is allowed to enable Member States to
validate and evaluate the data collected before it is officially transmitted to the
Commission. For values in excess of limit values in zones not designated under
Article 3 of each of the directives, Member States are also required to provide
reasons for these (not required under 82/884/EEC) and the measures being taken to
avoid recurrence.

It is important to note that in none of these directives is it required for Member States
to transmit data when limit values are not exceeded. In the absence of comments
from Member States, the Commission assumes that limit values have been complied
with although this may not be the case. This absence also makes it difficult to assess
changes in pollution levels not only in zones where values in excess of limit values
have been reported but also in relation to efforts being made to reduce pollution
levels towards guide values where these have been set.

3.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIRECTIVES

An overview of the directives was given in Section 1.1 and Chapter 2 of the previous
report (COM (95) 372 final). The report also discussed how the directives had been
implemented. By that time the directives had been transposed in all the Member
States, whereas previous reports had had to include “Article 3 zones”. These were
specially designated areas where concentrations could not yet be brought below the
limit values. By 1997, the periods for which these zones were allowed had already
ended for all three directives.

Several problems concerning implementation of the old directives were noted in the
previous report mentioned above (Chapter 3), which essentially still applied in the
period covered by the current report. There were substantial differences in the way
Member States measured their air quality and reported the results to the Commission.
This makes it difficult to compare the situation in different Member States and to
follow progress with the measures and procedures being implemented to improve air

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quality. This situation is expected to improve considerably under the new directives,
not only because they give more detailed provisions, but also because of more
intense exchange of information between Member States and the guidance given by
international working groups and the ETC/ACC.

4.

OVERVIEW OF EXCEEDANCES REPORTED BY MEMBER STATES

Table 1 summarises the cases reported by the 15 EU Member States where limit
values have been exceeded (exceedances), expressed as the number of stations where
exceedances were observed. Table 2 specifies, for cases of exceedance of a Directive
80/779/EEC limit value, which limit value this was. Table 2 also summarises the
additional information that the Member States had to submit on exceedances: the
main contributing source category and the measures planned or taken. Several
Member States sent additional information, e.g. a national air quality report, along
with the required information.

Eight Member States reported that no exceedance of any of the limit values had been
observed.

In each of the three years considered, four Member States reported exceedance of
one or more of the Directive 80/779/EEC limit values. This occurred at a total of 14
stations in 1997 and again in 1998, and at 13 stations in 1999. Most of the
80/779/EEC exceedances concerned suspended particulates, measured either as Total
Suspended Particulates13 (TSP) or black smoke (BS). Few cases related to SO2 (and
only in Spain).

There were exceedances of the limit value for NO2 in five Member States in 1997, in
three Member States in 1998 and in four in 1999. The number of stations where
exceedance was observed was 13 in 1997, 9 in 1998 and 10 in 1999.

None of the Member States reported exceedance of the limit value for lead.

13

Measurement of Total Suspended Particulates is based on the gravimetric method described in Annex
IV of Directive 80/779/EEC

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Table 1 Number of stations with exceedance of limit values*)

1997 period
NO2
0
0
0
0
3
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
7
0
0

SO2/BS/TSP**)
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
11
0
0

Member
State
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
United
Kingdom
*) For SO2/BS/TSP, the year refers to the annual reference period from 1 April to 31 March of the following
year. However, the table also includes figures from Member States that report by calendar year only.

1998 period
NO2
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
5
0
0
0
3
0
0

1999 period
NO2
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
5
0
0
0
2
0
0

SO2/BS/TSP
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
10
0
0

SO2/BS/TSP
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
11
0
0

Pb
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pb
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pb
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Information on measures
reported
Description of local emission
reduction measures
No information
Description of local emission
reduction measures
General
emission
programmes
Description
recent
measures to tackle vehicle
emissions
No information
No information

on
reduction

information

of

some

For
information on measures

exceedances:

**) SO2/Black Smoke/Total Suspended Particulates

Table 2 Details on the exceedances reported

Member
State
Finland

France
Germany

Greece

limit value(s)

For 80/779/EC:
exceeded*)
The exceedances pertain to the 95
percentile of TSP.
(No exceedance)
(No exceedance)

cause

Main
exceedances reported
Traffic nearby

of

Traffic nearby
Traffic nearby

The exceedances pertain to the
annual limit value of BS.

Traffic (both for BS and
NO2 exceedances)

Ireland

(No exceedance)

Traffic nearby

Italy
Portugal

Spain

(No exceedance)
The exceedances pertain to the limit
values for TSP (95 percentile in
1997 and 1999; annual mean in
1998).
Most exceedances pertain to the
limit value of TSP, fewer to limit
values of BS and SO2.

No information
Thermal power plant

For some exceedances an
source
of
estimate
contributions was given

*) 82/884/EEC and 85/203/EEC specify only one limit value.

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5.

CONCLUSIONS

By April 2002 all 15 Member States had sent a report to the Commission on
exceedances of limit values under the “old” air quality directives in the period
1997-1999. Not all
reports received were fully consistent with the formal
requirements of the directives.

Four Member States reported exceedances of 80/779/EEC limit values, most of
which concerned suspended particulates. Five Member States reported exceedance of
the NO2 limit value in 1997, three Member States in 1998 and four in 1999. None of
the Member States reported exceedance of the limit value for lead.

The importance of reporting under the old air quality directives has diminished
considerably in recent years. This is the result of major improvement
to EU
legislation and reporting infrastructure on air quality, which is replacing the
framework defined by the old directives. The implementation problems, which have
already been described in a previous report, will be more effectively addressed under
the new air quality directives. However, until the years in which the new air quality
thresholds for the protection of human health have to be met, 2005 and 2010
respectively,
limit values for
concentrations in the air at EU level. Annual limit values for SO2 for the protection
of ecosystems and for NOx for the protection of vegetation came in force already in
2001.

the old directives will continue to set

the legal

8