Commission calls on Romania, Greece and Malta to adopt national air pollution control programmes

Romania, Greece and Malta need to adopt their first national air pollution control programmes to limit their annual emissions, according to a warning issued by the European Commission on Wednesday.
So far, the three countries have failed to meet their obligations under the Commission’s Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, which foresees the formation and communication to EU’s executive body of a national plan to reduce national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants.
The countries will have two months to reply, adopt and communicate their plans – aiming at achieving levels of air quality that do not put at risk human health and the environment.
Greece has been urged by the EC to disclose information on the gravity of air pollution across its territory and to take effective and immediate measures for the reduction of the NO2 pollution in the agglomeration of Athens.
The country has two months to reply and take the necessary measures to establish the proper functioning of the system to monitor air pollution, otherwise the case may be referred to the EU Court of Justice.