The Queen, on the application of: ClientEarth v The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Date: 2014-11-19
25. The obligation to comply with the limit values for nitrogen dioxide laid down in Annex XI to Directive 2008/50 by 1 January 2010, the date specified in that annex, results from the second subparagraph of Article 13(1) of the directive.
40. It follows, next, from the second subparagraph of Article 23(1) of Directive 2008/50 that where the limit values for nitrogen dioxide are exceeded after the deadline laid down for their attainment, the Member State concerned is required to establish an air quality plan that meets certain requirements.
42. However, an analysis which proposes that a Member State would, in circumstances such as those in the main proceedings, have entirely satisfied its obligations under the second subparagraph of Article 13(1) of Directive 2008/50 merely because such a plan has been established, cannot be accepted.
43. First, it must be observed that only Article 22(1) of Directive 2008/50 expressly provides for the possibility of a Member State postponing the deadline laid down in Annex XI to the directive for achieving conformity with the limit values for nitrogen dioxide established in that annex.
44. Second, such an analysis would be liable to impair the effectiveness of Articles 13 and 22 of Directive 2008/50 because it would allow a Member State to disregard the deadline imposed by Article 13 under less stringent conditions than those imposed by Article 22.
48. By contrast, Article 23(1) of Directive 2008/50 has a more general scope because it applies, without being limited in time, to breaches of any pollutant limit value established by that directive, after the deadline fixed for its application, whether that deadline is fixed by Directive 2008/50 or by the Commission under Article 22(1) of the directive.
52. As regards Article 4 TEU, it should be recalled that according to settled case-law, under the principle of sincere cooperation laid down in paragraph 3 of that article, it is for the Member States to ensure judicial protection of an individual’s rights under EU law (see, to that effect, inter alia the judgment in Unibet , C‑432/05, EU:C:2007:163, paragraph 38). In addition, Article 19(1) TEU requires Member States to provide remedies sufficient to ensure effective legal protection in the fields covered by EU law.
53. If the limit values for nitrogen dioxide are exceeded after 1 January 2010 in a Member State that has not applied for a postponement of that deadline under Article 22(1) of Directive 2008/50, the second subparagraph of Article 23(1) of that directive imposes a clear obligation on that Member State to establish an air quality plan that complies with certain requirements (see, by analogy, judgment in Janecek , C‑237/07, EU:C:2008:447, paragraph 35).
54. In addition, the Court has consistently held that individuals are entitled, as against public bodies, to rely on the provisions of a directive which are unconditional and sufficiently precise. It is for the competent national authorities and courts to interpret national law, as far as possible, in a way that is compatible with the purpose of that directive. Where such an interpretation is not possible, they must disapply the rules of national law which are incompatible with the directive concerned (see, to that effect, judgment in Janecek , EU:C:2008:447, paragraph 36 and the case-law cited.)
55. Lastly, as the Court of Justice has noted on numerous occasions, it is incompatible with the binding effect that Article 288 TFEU ascribes to Directive 2008/50 to exclude, in principle, the possibility of the obligation imposed by that directive being relied on by the persons concerned. That consideration applies particularly in respect of a directive whose objective is to control and reduce atmospheric pollution and which is designed, therefore, to protect public health (see, to that effect, judgment in Janecek , EU:C:2008:447, paragraph 37).
56. It follows that the natural or legal persons directly concerned by the limit values being exceeded after 1 January 2010 must be in a position to require the competent authorities, if necessary by bringing an action before the courts having jurisdiction, to establish an air quality plan which complies with the second subparagraph of Article 23(1) of Directive 2008/50, where a Member State has failed to secure compliance with the requirements of the second subparagraph of Article 13(1) of Directive 2008/50 and has not applied for a postponement of the deadline as provided for by Article 22 of the directive (see, by analogy, judgment in Janecek , EU:C:2008:447, paragraph 39).
57. As regards the content of the plan, it follows from the second subparagraph of Article 23(1) of Directive 2008/50 that, while Member States have a degree of discretion in deciding which measures to adopt, those measures must, in any event, ensure that the period during which the limit values are exceeded is as short as possible .
58. The answer to the fourth question is therefore that, where a Member State has failed to comply with the requirements of the second subparagraph of Article 13(1) of Directive 2008/50 and has not applied for a postponement of the deadline as provided for by Article 22 of the directive, it is for the national court having jurisdiction, should a case be brought before it, to take, with regard to the national authority, any necessary measure, such as an order in the appropriate terms, so that the authority establishes the plan required by the directive in accordance with the conditions laid down by the latter.
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