The ENVE commission on the 19 June adopted by overwhelming majority the Clean Air package opinion which intends to better enforce current existing air quality standards by 2020 while introducing further obligations to limit emissions until 2030. According to the Commission, proposing stricter air quality standards at this point in time may prove counter-productive as many Member States are currently facing infringement cases for failing to reach existing standards.
The members of the ENVE commissions acknowledged that the infringements procedure concerning 17 Member States are indeed an issue that cannot be neglected. The EA coordinator in the ENVE commission, Mrs Linda Gillham, while deploring that Member States too often pass on the costs of compliance of EU legislation to LRAs, stated that it is not easy to determine where exactly the responsibility lies. Moreover, not only is the accuracy of the measurement often debatable, local levels often do not have at their disposal adequate equipment to monitor emissions.
The ENVE commission also adopted the opinion on the future policy Framework for Climate and Energy in the period from 2020 to 2030 that identifies possible future actions in order to fulfil a low-carbon economy which ensures competitive and affordable energy for all consumers while creating new jobs.
