Workshop on Interaction between Air-Quality Monitoring and Air-protection Strategies in EECCA Countries UN ECE WGEMA, June 11, 2007 Draft Strategy for the Use of Air Quality Monitoring as an Environmental Policy Tool in the EECCA Countries Vladislav Bízek Consultant to the WGEMA Secretariat

Introduction The EECCA Environmental Strategy (Kiev 2003) specifies several problems related to air quality assessment and management and recommends actions to solve or at least mitigate these problems. The progress made in EECCA since 2003 in air quality management is generally considered very limited (OECD, Belgrade Report).

Main message What is regulated, must be monitored – what is monitored, can only be regulated effectively. Air quality monitoring systems are integral parts of national and international air quality assessment and management systems. Air quality monitoring system is basic precondition for priority and target setting, for the preparation of instruments and measures and for the assessment of their effectiveness.

Linking air-quality monitoring to environmental policy development. General recommendations Develop strategies (if not done so yet) to establish comprehensive air quality assessment and management systems with a focus on priority pollutants (particularly ground level ozone, PM 10 and PM 2.5 ). Of course, country specific priorities must be included. Coordinate these strategies with those in the field of climate change abatement.

Air Quality Assessment and Management System Institutional Setting (central competent authority, relevant public administration authorities, supporting institutions) Policy Level Document Setting (objectives, priorities, targets) Technical Level (standards, technical requirements, economic and market based instruments, voluntary instruments, information instruments) Operational Level (operation of information system, permitting, regional approach, application of instruments, enforcement, feed-back mechanisms) Subsystems: -National air quality information system National core air quality monitoring network Specialized monitoring networks

Integration with emission inventories and modelling activities - recommendations Update mechanisms to create and/or complete ond operate national emission inventories. Apply EMEP/CORINAIR Air Emissions Inventory Guidebook. Arrange for the preparation of emission projections. Apply air quality modelling.

Revision of air quality standards - recommendations MACs should be replaced by: - either the EU set of air quality standards - or by the US set of air quality standards In any case, the following pollutants should be covered: -PM 10 -nitrogen dioxide -sulphur dioxide -carbon monoxide -lead -ozone -benzene Later, additional pollutants could be added (PM 2.5, HMs, PAHs)

Better using air quality monitoring data- recommendations -extended use in permitting procedures -compliance assessment (all pollutants must be monitored for which new standards are set) -compliance deadlines for all air quality standards -development of modelling tools covering all territories in which compliance with new standards is required) -proper interpretation of monitoring and modelling data available to the decision makers as well as to public.

Improving coordination - recommendations National / state core air quality monitoring network should be established (if does not exist yet) operated by an authorized institution. The authorized institution should have power to coordinate all air quality monitoring activities in the country.

Modernizing and upgrading national air quality monitoring and information systems-recommendations Prepare and implement national programs for modernization and upgrading national air quality monitoring and information systems. Complete national core air quality monitoring system is the major issue (sampling points, parameters measured, technical capacities, reliability of measurements and analyses, data management). Stepwise introduction of automated monitoring stations (starting in big cities and highly populated agglomerations and continuing „top-down“).

Data management: National air quality information system – major tasks: -collection of meteorological and climatic data -collection of data on quality of precipitation -collection of data on air quality (core network, specialized networks and individual stations) -processing of the data (quality control) -modelling of concentration fields of pollutants -assessment and modelling of trends in air quality -reporting (national and international) -compliance assessment -emission inventories and projections System should be operated by the institution which operates core monitoring network.

International cooperation - recommendations Becoming Parties to UN ECE CLRTAP and its protocols (mainly EMEP). Cooperation with EEA (especially those EECCA countries which are thinking about future EU membership). Cooperation with IIASA (International Institute for Applied System Analysis) – mainly RAINS and GAINS models.