Policy Brief: How Science Can Support a Swift, Health-based Implementation of the New EU Clean Air Law
Air pollution is the leading environmental health risk in the European Union (EU), contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually and exacerbating conditions like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
Air pollution is the leading environmental health risk in the European Union (EU), contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually and exacerbating conditions like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, which result in substantial healthcare costs each year. Although EU policies targeting energy, transport, and household emissions have improved air quality, the health and economic burdens—particularly in urban areas—remain high.
Central to EU efforts to reduce air pollution is the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD, DR 2008/50/EC). This directive establishes legally binding limits for major air pollutants, setting hourly, daily, and annual concentration thresholds and requiring member states to monitor air quality and implement corrective measures when limits are exceeded. Between 2021 and 2024, the AAQD underwent a major revision to align with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) updated air quality guidelines. The newly revised law, agreed on February 20, 2024, and formally adopted on October 14, 2024, introduces stricter standards, enhanced governance and enforcement mechanisms, improved monitoring requirements, and stronger provisions for public information and communication. The scientific evidence on air pollution’s health impacts was a primary motivator for these updates.
The METEOR cluster, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program, highlights how scientific research can drive ambitious clean air policies that protect health across the EU. This cluster includes five Horizon Europe projects (including UBDPolicy) that examine the health effects of environmental factors such as air and noise pollution, chemical exposures, and their socioeconomic impacts. Together, these projects provide a comprehensive overview of environmental health impacts and propose evidence-based policy recommendations to safeguard both public health and the environment.
