• EU close to first standards on microparticles

    The EU’s first-ever limits on fine particles moved a significant step closer earlier this month when ministers reached agreement with MEPs on maximum permissible concentrations of the soot particles known as PM2.5.

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    The new limit for ambient air quality will be 25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre by 2015. MEPs had called for 20µg/m3 by 2015 – this limit has been agreed as a binding target for 2020 subject to a feasibility review in 2013.

    Up to now, PM2.5 has been unregulated, despite the EU having rules on larger particulate pollution (PM10), which will remain unchanged at 40µg/m3.

    The new PM2.5 limit, which forms part of a revised EU air quality directive, could widen the responsibility for regulating the use of old cars to national and regional authorities, rather than just cities which are more affected by PM10 pollution.

    T&E policy officer Kerstin Meyer said: ‘It’s obviously good that there is a new limit for PM2.5, especially as there were moves by some to delete all particle limits from the law, but let’s not forget that this is mainly about weakening the existing directive. Member states who ignored air quality requirements they should have met by 2005 will now have until 2011 to meet them, but they won’t have as much flexibility as some MEPs wanted.’

    This news story is taken from the December 2007 edition of T&E Bulletin.