Published:
01 Dec 2008 - Despite significant emission
reductions in recent years, only 11 EU Member
States expect to remain within their emission
limits for all four air pollutants set by
the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive
(NEC Directive). The nitrogen oxides ceiling
remains the most difficult to comply with.
This is partly due to the fact that demand
for road transport has grown faster than
anticipated.
The NEC Directive status
report by the European Environment Agency
presents country-specific and EU-wide information
for the four pollutants covered by the directive:
sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx),
non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs)
and ammonia (NH3). Preliminary results were
reported in May this year.
The NOx challenge
Even taking into account NOx control measures
already in place within the Member States,
the NOx emissions for the EU-27 as a whole
are still projected to be 9 % above the
aggregated Member State limits (known as
the Annex I ceiling) and 20 % above the
stricter ceiling for the European Community
as a whole (the Annex II ceiling) set for
2010. Some Member States including the Netherlands,
Sweden and Germany expect to emit only slightly
more NOx than their ceilings. Others, such
as Ireland, Austria and Spain, are projected
to miss substantially their targets by as
much as up to 50 %.
This is partly due to
higher-than-expected growth in road transport
that has occurred since the ceilings were
set. Moreover, the estimated gains from
policy measures, which were in discussion
at the time, have proven less effective
than originally anticipated (e.g. the effectiveness
of certain vehicle emission controls).
Such factors have led
several Member States to change their projections
in the last few years and announce that
they now expect to miss their NOx targets.
However, Belgium and Germany have reported
plans to implement additional measures which
may allow them to comply with their 2010
emissions ceilings for NOx. The other Member
States which are not on track will also
need to develop and present such plans.
Other ceilings on track
For the other three pollutants (SO2, NMVOCs,
NH3), most EU Member States are expected
to reduce their emissions beyond their commitments.
As a result, the EU as a whole is expected
to register substantial reductions. In the
case of NMVOCs, EU-27 emissions are projected
to be 9 % below the Annex I ceiling, but
6 % above the stricter Annex II ceiling.
The SO2 projections
fare even better, being 31 % below Annex
I and 27 % below Annex II ceilings. With
19 EU Member States already below their
ceilings, the EU-27’s NH3 emissions are
also projected to 'overachieve', being 7
% below the aggregate ceiling.
Overview of 'with measures
projections' as reported by the EU-27 Member
States in 2007
(A 'v' indicates that the Member State anticipates
meeting or exceeding its respective emission
ceiling, while 'x' indicates that a ceiling
will not be met without introduction of
future measures to reduce emissions)
Background information
The NEC Directive sets pollutant-specific
and legally-binding emission ceilings for
each Member State to meet by 2010. It requires
the countries to report annually information
concerning emissions and projections for
the four air pollutants: SO2, NOx, NMVOC
and NH3. These pollutants are deposited
in soils and waters and damage ecosystems
by acidification and eutrophication. They
also contribute to the formation of ozone
and particulate matter, which are harmful
to human health as well as to ecosystems
and vegetation.
The current EEA report
is based on the 2007 reporting cycle, where
Member States provided final emissions data
for 2005 and preliminary data for 2006,
as well as projected emissions for 2010.
By the end of this year, they are required
to submit updated 2010 estimates, together
with final 2006 and preliminary 2007 data.
Data in this report is also available through
the NECD emissions dataviewer.
Annex I of the NEC Directive defines both
country-based ceilings and aggregated emission
ceilings for the EU-27 (which are the sums
of the individual Member State ceilings
in that Annex). Annex II also defines SO2,
NOx and NMVOC ceilings for the EU-27 as
a whole. These ceilings are stricter than
those in Annex I and are designed with the
aim of attaining by 2010 the interim environmental
objectives set out in the directive (i.e.
reduction of acidification, health- and
vegetation-related ground-level ozone exposure
by 2010 compared with the 11000 situation).
+ More
Climate change conference
opens in Poland
Published: 01 Dec 2008
- A step closer to a post-2012 deal on climate
change is what is at stake as over 10 000
participants from governments, non-governmental
organisations, and science and business
communities gather for a two-week UN conference
in Poznan, Poland. The European Environment
Agency (EEA) is hosting a side event on
'Impacts of and adaptation to climate change
in Europe' on 11 December 2008.
A total of 192 countries
have ratified the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, the most important
agreement for international actions to tackle
climate change. Under the Convention's Kyoto
Protocol, ratified by 183 nations, industrialised
countries are required to reduce their emissions
for the period 2008–2012. The signatory
parties to the Convention and to the Kyoto
Protocol come together once a year for the
'Conference of the Parties' (COP) and the
'Conference of the Parties serving as the
Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol'
(CMP), respectively.
Today (1 December 2008),
the 14th COP and the 4th CMP starts in Poznan
and will end with a high-level political
segment on 11 and 12 December. In addition
to plenary sessions discussing the implementation
of the Convention, COP-14 will host a large
number of side events, other meetings and
exhibitions addressing a wide range of issues
including deforestation in developing countries,
technology transfer and impacts, vulnerability
and adaptation.
Most importantly, the
conference will continue to seek common
ground for the post-2012 period. To this
end, the conference will discuss a shared
vision for long-term cooperative action
on climate change, technology transfer,
risk management and risk reduction strategies,
adaptation and the Kyoto Protocol's Adaptation
Fund. Next year's conference (COP-15) in
Copenhagen, Denmark, is expected to seal
a global deal on climate change action from
2012 onwards, when the first commitment
period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.
EEA participation
During its side event, the EEA will present
some of the findings from its report: 'Impacts
of Europe's changing climate — 2008 indicator-based
assessment'. The Agency will also
