| SUMMARY OF THE KEY ISSUES IN LEGISLATION EU air quality legislation started in 1970. Since then, four types of measures have been adopted with numerous Directives and Regulations: measures regulating emission sources, regulating fuel qualities, monitoring/regulating air quality and protection of the stratospheric ozone layer. EU policy on air quality aims to implement appropriate instruments to improve the quality of the air. The control of emissions from industrial and mobile sources, improving fuel quality and promoting and integrating environmental protection requirements into the industrial, transport and energy sectors are part of these aims. The Air Quality Directives of the European Commission, i.e. the Directive on Air Quality Assessment and Management ("Framework") Directive of 1996 (96/62/EC) and the Daughter Directives of 1999-2002 for specific compounds (SO2, NO2, NOx, PM10 and lead (1999/30/EC), CO and benzene (2000/69/EC) and ozone (2002/3/EC) represent a new way of dealing with and controlling the air quality problems in Europe. The directives prescribe how they should be assessed in a way that covers the entire EU territory, in terms that are sometimes general and sometimes specific, how the assessment should be reported to the Commission as well as to the public and when reduction plans should be developed to reduce the pollutant concentrations where they are too high. Compared to the previous directives, the concept of Limit Value (LV) is kept, but the requirements related to monitoring, assessment, reporting, compliance and controls are specified in much more detail. To this end, new concepts, elements and terms are introduced which need to be understood by those who should implement the directives. The requirements on air quality assessment include provisions on measuring and modelling current air pollution. Clarifications and recommendations on these techniques, which are partly new, are given in the section “Assessment”. Most limit values under the EU Air Quality legislation have to be met several years after the entry into force of the Daughter Directive concerned, in most cases in 2005 or 2010. Before that time, Member States must ensure that the concentrations are everywhere brought below the limit value in time. If the limit value plus the “margin of tolerance” (LV+MOT) is exceeded in an earlier year, the levels are so much above the limit value that the directive requires to make an analysis and prognosis of the exceedance, and to develop a plan or programme to ensure that the limit value will be met. The Air Quality Directives specify various reporting requirements. The directives address the national level, but in many Member States this responsibility is partly passed through to the region and local level. There are regular reports to be sent about the air quality and about measures to improve air quality. A purpose of the reports is that Member States learn from each other, and so it is the policy of the Commission to publish the results of the reports. The EU Air Quality Directives state that sharing the air quality information with the public is essential, especially for sensitive people such as those suffering from respiratory diseases. The directives also state that the public shall be kept informed about plans and programmes drawn up for reduction of the air pollution levels. Within Member States, part of the responsibility for the public information requirements is put on the shoulders of the local authorities. The challenges of implementation faced by cities under the new Framework Directive on Ambient Air Quality include the development of air quality strategies and action plans at the local level and issues concerning the monitoring of air quality. These are addressed in the other sections. The small section Legislation is divided in two subsections: • Legislation and interpretation of the directives Full compliance, application, implementation and enforcement of these measures are essential to improve the quality of our air and achieve a high level of environmental protection in general.
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