1. Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution
and streamlined air quality legislation
Particulate Matter- What is it?
Small droplets or solid material suspended in air. It can be made up from many different chemical constituents depending upon the source of the particles and how it has been formed. The photograph above shows a particle interacting with a human cell.
Particles can be classified according to their size and how they are formed. Primary particles are emitted directly into the atmosphere from processes such as the combustion of fuels such as diesel or coal. Secondary particles are formed in the atmosphere via chemical reactions of gases such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia and volatile hydrocarbons.
The two most common size fractions are PM2.5 (”Fine fraction” and PM10. These refer to all particles with a diameter less than 2.5 microns (millionths of a metre) and 10 microns respectively. The particles in the size range 2.5 to 10 microns are referred to as the “coarse fraction”.
Some Europeans are estimated to die now due to particulate matter. This is significant. As a public health problem air pollution is estimated to be similar in size to car accidents or cigarette smoking. However, there is a difference. You can choose to take a car or smoke a cigarette but you cannot stop breathing.
CAFE team, DG Environment

2. Thematic Strategy is a response to 6th EAP
6th EAP- Decision of Council & EP of July 2002:
‘achieving levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment’; (Art 7.1. of 6th EAP)
Integrated approach; consistency with other environmental policies; exploit synergies;
Better Regulation
supported by thorough impact assessment;
new legislative proposal to streamline air quality legislation
What is the Thematic Strategy
The 6th Environmental Action Programme (Decision 1600/2002/EC) was adopted jointly by the Council and the European Parliament in July 2002.
The 6EAP:
Obliges the Commission to propose a thematic strategy on air pollution not later than July 2005.
States that the Thematic strategy should be coherent and take an integrated approach and ensure linkages through to other environmental areas such as climate change.
“a thematic strategy to strengthen a coherent and integrated policy on air pollution to cover priorities for further actions, the review and updating where appropriate of air quality standards and national emission ceilings with a view to reach the long term objective of no-exceedence of critical loads and levels and the development of better systems for gathering information, modelling and forecasting”
Art 7 (f) of the 6EAP stipulates that the thematic strategy should achieve levels of air quality that do not give significant negative impact on human health and the environment.
A critical load is, for a particular ecosystem, a level of pollution below which the ecosystem ought not to be at significant risk of harm. The 6EAP sets an objective of no exceedence of critical loads for acidification and eutrophication.

3. Objective of Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) Programme
Established in 2001 to provide the technical input for the Thematic Strategy on air pollution
Best available science & transparency
Benchmark current and future air pollution with regard to significant impacts
Define interim objectives up to 2020 – based on analysis of closing the gap between business as usual and Maximum Technical Feasible improvement
Inform the review of air quality legislation
Clean Air For Europe Process (CAFE)
The Clean Air For Europe Programme was established in 2001 following the Commission Communication “Clean Air For Europe Programme: Towards A Thematic Strategy on Air Quality”
CAFE was established to provide the scientific knowledge and the vehicle for stakeholder participation that would underpin the development of the Thematic Strategy as required by the Sixth Environmental Action Programme (6EAP)
Significant resources have been deployed over the expected four year lifetime of the process. Several million Euro have been invested in outside expertise and significant human resources deployed in the Commission services.

4. How were these interim objectives defined?
Peer-reviewed health (WHO) and scientific advice
Assessment of the effect of current policies
Peer-reviewed integrated assessment to develop cost-effective solutions for both health and environment
Peer-reviewed Cost-Benefit Analysis
Macro-economic analysis
Lisbon Strategy & Competitiveness
Stakeholder involvement and consultation
Over 100 stakeholder meetings and over responses to internet based consultation
Accompanied by comprehensive impact assessment (170+ pages)
Analyses under the CAFE Programme:
The best, most recent and independent health assessment of air pollutants from the World Health Organisation. They have conducted a “Systematic Review” of air quality guidelines to underpin the CAFE Programme.
The RAINS integrated assessment model (Regional Air pollution Information & Simulation) was extensively improved:
Updated energy baselines and emissions after extensive consultation with Member States
Updated abatement costs and potentials now used in the model again following consultation with MS, industry stakeholders and experts in the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)
The RAINS model was independently peer-reviewed with respect to its use as a policy analysis tool
An extensive cost-benefit analysis was undertaken as part of the preparation of the Thematic Strategy. The methodology has been published and peer-reviewed by independent experts in the field. This has been complemented by macroeconomic analysis to address issues relating to competitiveness of European Industry and the Lisbon Agenda.

5. Defining cost-effective solutions is complicated
NOx
VOC
NH3 PM
Health
Complex interactions between pollutants and effects
The interaction between pollutants and impacts is complex.
Several pollutants contribute to the same environmental impact.
Some pollutants such as ozone and secondary particles are formed by complex chemical reactions of primary pollutants in the atmosphere
Environmental sensitivity varies across Europe for each effect.
Pollutants are carried by prevailing winds and can have impacts many hundreds of kilometers from where they are emitted
The main four areas of concern are
human health (particulate matter and ozone),
eutrophication (excess nitrogen in soils and waters),
acidification (too much acid in soils and waters)
vegetation affected by ozone.
For each area of concern, the Strategy has looked at the policy gap between the baseline (“business as usual”) and what improvements are technically feasible irrespective of cost. On the basis of analyses of this range, the Strategy has proposed interim health and environmental targets up to When choosing the ambition level, this implies a reduction of emissions from all sources. The main sectors contributing to emissions are power generation, other combustion sources, industrial processes, transport, households and agriculture.
Eutrophication
Acidification
Ozone
Interim objectives for 2020

6. Summary of “Business as Usual”
Emissions continue to decline
But in 2020
Premature deaths related to fine particulates still 270,000
Loss of statistical average life still 5 months in the EU
Ozone premature mortality equal to 20,800 cases
119,000 km2 of forest at risk from acid rain
590,000 km2 of ecosystems at risk from nutrient Nitrogen
760,000 km2 of forest at risk from ozone
Cost-effective improvements are possible kT
2000
2020 %
SO2
8736
2806
-68%
NOx
11583
5889
-49%
VOCs
10661
5918
-44%
PM2.5
1749
971
NH3
3824
3686
-4%
Ships will represent 125% and 101% of land based SO2 and NOx emissions in 2020.
Current policies are working
Current policies such as measures in the road transport sector, IPPC and the Large Combustion Plant Directive are all delivering significant reductions in the emissions of the most important pollutants.
However, it is clear that significant health & environmental problems will persist. In addition, it is also clear that the contribution from ships to emissions of nitrogen oxides and SOx will increase so that such emissions from EU seas will be larger than those from land-based sources in 2020.

7. The Strategy

8. Improvement of health & environment indicators following the Strategy (improvement relative to 2000)

9. Summary of Strategy – Costs & Benefits
Ambition level
Benefits
Costs per annum (€bn)
Human health
Natural environment
Life Years Lost
(million)
PM2.5
Premature deaths (000s)
PM2.5 and ozone
Range in monetised health benefits
per annum (€bn)
Ecosystem area exceeded acidification (000 km2)
Ecosystem area exceeded eutro-phication (000 km2)
Forest area exceeded ozone (000 km2)
Forests
Semi-natural
Fresh-water
2000
3.62
370 -
243 24 31
733
827
Baseline 2020
2.47
293
119 8 22
590
764
Strategy
1.91
230
42 – 135 63 3 19
416
699
7.1
MTFR
1.72
208
56 – 181 36 1 11
193
381
39.7

10. Objectives of the Strategy
Improvements by 2020 relative to 2000
Life Years lost from particulate matter (million)
47%
Acute mortality from ozone
10%
Ecosystem forest area exceeded from acidification
74%
Ecosystem freshwaters area exceeded from acidification
39%
Ecosystem area exceeded from eutrophication
43%
Forest area exceeded by ozone
15%

11. Measures following the Strategy
Euro 5 for cars and vans
Euro 6 for Heavy Duty Engines
Revision of the NECD consistent with objectives identified in the Strategy
Small scale combustion
Review of IPPC directive for larger sources
Energy using Products directive for small sources
Ship NOx engine standards (IMO or Community)
Agriculture (NH3)
N content of feedstuffs
Review of IPPC directive for intensive agriculture
Revise Air quality legislation