site.btaEC Sends Bulgaria and Three Other Countries to Court over Air Pollution

The European Commission has announced that it is referring Bulgaria, Lithuania, Portugal and Sweden to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to fulfill their obligations to reduce emissions of several air pollutants. Bulgaria, Portugal and Sweden have not met their obligations to reduce ammonia emissions, while Lithuania has not met its obligations to reduce nitrogen oxides and non-methane volatile organic compounds.

The statement explains that EU countries are required to establish and update national air pollution control programmes to demonstrate how these commitments will be met. European rules set out targets for reducing the emissions of various pollutants, which each country must meet between 2020 and 2029, with further reductions required after 2030.

In January 2023, the European Commission sent formal notification letters to 14 countries that had failed to meet their 2020 emission reduction commitments. After assessing the data received up to 2021, the Commission issued reasoned opinions to nine of these countries. The latest emissions data for 2023 show that some countries are still falling short of their emission reduction commitments. According to the Commission, the efforts made by the relevant authorities so far have been insufficient, and is therefore bringing the matter before the European Court of Justice. The Commission will decide on further action where necessary, the announcement added.