Contents

Air quality framework

Journal:
Manual of European Environmental Policy
ISSN:
1467-0445
E-ISSN:
1740-3529
Publisher:
Earthscan, London, UK
DOI:
10.3763/meep.2010.0015
Author:
Institute for European Environmental Policy
Information last updated:
December 2011
Publication date:
December 2011

Directive 96/62/EC was intended to provide a framework for ambient air quality management in the EC. It provided for the establishment of new ambient air quality standards and objectives, the assessment of air quality, the provision of information to the public, and the development and implementation of programmes to maintain air quality or to bring it to the desired levels where necessary. The Directive was subject to review and a revised Directive was adopted in 2008 (Directive 2008/50/EC). This has the same overall framework objectives as the earlier Directive. Limit values and alert thresholds for various ambient air pollutants were to be set through daughter Directives under Directive 96/62/EC, some of which replaced the existing EC air quality standards defined for sulphur dioxide and particulates, nitrogen dioxide and lead. The establishment of air quality standards for ozone were to be based on the information collected under Directive 92/72/EEC. Three of these daughter Directives were also amended and incorporated into the revised Directive 2008/50/EC.

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