NEC Directive reporting status 2017 - The need to reduce air pollution in Europe

Comparison of Member State emissions with NEC Directive ceilings, and 2020 and 2030 emission reduction commitments

The new NEC Directive ensures that emission ceilings that had to be met by the year 2010 (as set in the 2001 NEC Directive) remain applicable until 2019, after which new emission reduction commitments for the years 2020 to 2029, and later 2030 onwards, become applicable. Under the new NEC Directive, Member States report each year emission inventory information for the past years (from 1990 (or 2000 in case of PM_2.5) until the current year minus 2). Every second year emission projections for SO₂, NO_x, NH₃, NMVOCs, PM_2.5 and, if available, black carbon (BC) must be reported. The projections shall cover the years 2020, 2025, 2030 and, where available, 2040 and 2050. Projected emissions are used to assess whether or not Member States are on track towards meeting their reduction commitments for 2020 and 2030 (see Table 1).

Table 1: EU Member State progress in meeting 2010 NEC Directive emission ceilings and 2020/2030 reduction commitments

Nitrogen oxides (NO_x)

Six Member States exceeded their NO_x emission ceilings in 2015. Austria, Luxembourg, Ireland and Germany exceeded their NO_x ceilings the most, in percentage terms, by 28 %, 19 %, 13% and 13 %, respectively. In absolute amounts, the largest emitters of NO_x in 2015 were Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. Between 2014 and 2015, 20 Member States reported emission reductions for NO_x. The total reduction for the aggregated EU emissions amounts to −2.1 % between 2014 and 2015.

Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs)

In 2015, six Member States (Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal) did not attain their ceilings. The highest exceedance in 2015, in percentage terms, was reported for Ireland (84 %). This is due to the recent addition of NMVOC emissions from agriculture into the country's emission inventory. The largest emitters of NMVOCs in 2015 were Germany, Italy and United Kingdom. Between 2014 and 2015, 10 Member States reported emission reductions for NMVOCs. The aggregated EU emissions increased by just 0.5 % between 2014 and 2015.

Sulphur dioxide (SO₂)

All Member States complied with the emission ceilings for SO₂. The largest emitters of SO₂ were Poland, Germany and Spain. Between 2014 and 2015, 19 Member States reported emission reductions for SO₂. The total reduction for the aggregated EU emissions amounted to –6.1 % between 2014 and 2015.

Ammonia (NH₃)

Six Member States (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain and Sweden) exceeded their NH₃ ceilings in 2015. The highest exceedances, in percentage terms, were reported for Germany (38 %) and Spain (34 %). The smallest exceedance was reported for Austria (1 %). The largest emitters of NH₃ were Germany, France and Spain. Between 2014 and 2015, eight EU Member States reported emission reductions for NH₃. For the second consecutive year, EU emissions of NH₃ increased, by 1.7 % between 2014 and 2015.

EU progress in meeting its emission ceilings and comparison with future emission reduction commitments

Under the new NEC Directive, the EU must until 2019 continue to meet the aggregated 2010 emission ceilings for four key pollutants, NO_x, NMVOCs, SO₂ and NH₃. In each year since 2010, the total EU emissions of these pollutants were below the respective ceilings (Figure 1). In 2015, EU total emissions of NMVOCs and SO₂ were already below the 2020 reduction commitments set for these pollutants. Only for NO_x a further, more significant, reduction is required in order to meet the 2020 commitment — emissions need to be reduced by a further 9 % compared with 2015 levels. In contrast, more substantial reductions are needed for all pollutants if the EU is to achieve its 2030 emission reduction commitments (i.e. NO_x a reduction of 42 % compared to 2015 emissions, NMVOCs 15 %, SO₂ 44 %, NH₃ 16.4 % and PM_2.5 36 %).

Figure 1: EU progress in meeting the 2010 emission ceilings and the 2020/2030 reduction commitments

Reasons for exceedances of emission ceilings

NOx emissions from road transport contribute 39 % of the EU emissions total. They are one of the main reasons for the large number of NO_x exceedances since 2010. NO_x reductions from this sector have been lower than originally anticipated over the past two decades, partly because transport has grown more than expected, and partly owing to the larger than expected growth in the number of diesel vehicles that produce higher NO_x emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles. The high 'real-world emissions' of NO_x, particularly from diesel passenger cars and vans, have contributed significantly to the share of emissions caused by the road transport sector. The EU's annual air quality limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is widely exceeded across Europe, and more than 90 % of the values above the annual limit value can be observed at traffic monitoring stations (EEA, 2016).

Six Member States continue to exceed their respective NH₃ ceilings. 94 % of NH₃ emissions come from agriculture, mainly from the handling of animal manure and the use of fertilisers. NH₃ emissions have decreased since 1990, but not to anywhere near the same extent as the other pollutants covered by the NEC Directive. A number of technical measures exist to reduce NH₃ emissions. A main reason for the high or even rising NH₃ emissions in some countries is an increasing number of pig or poultry facilities, without implementing measures and/or technologies to limit emissions. NH₃ emissions from agriculture contribute to the formation of PM_2.5 in the atmosphere and can contribute to high-PM episodes in Europe. NH₃ (and NO_X) emissions also contribute to an oversupply of airborne nitrogen in sensitive ecosystems, reducing for example 'species richness' in nutrient-poor grasslands (EEA, 2016).