The European Commission urges Bulgaria to Reduce Air Pollution

The European Commission today called on Bulgaria and 13 other EU countries to reduce air pollution. The others affected are Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden.

The rules call for each state to achieve pollution reductions each year through 2029 and beyond 2030. States are required to create national air pollution control programs to show they are meeting the goals.

The specified countries have not fulfilled the requirements for limiting pollutants, the commission notes. According to the EC, the targeted measures are not sufficient to limit the annual emissions caused by human activity. Ammonia is the pollutant for which most of these countries are not in compliance.

States have two months to respond and remedy the deficiencies. In the absence of a satisfactory answer, the EC can continue with the criminal procedure.

The Commission has today brought an action in the Court of Justice of the EU against Bulgaria, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Latvia and Portugal for failure to comply with various provisions of the rules on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. These species are plants and animals that have been introduced accidentally or intentionally to an area where they are not normally found.

European rules include measures regarding these species. The six mentioned countries have not created, implemented and communicated to the EC action plans in this direction. In June 2021, the EC sent letters of formal notice to 18 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia) ,...