Fifth EU Clean Air Forum in Bonn delivers new insights

In her opening speech, Environment Commissioner Jessica Roswall said “Investing in clean air is investing in our resilience and competitiveness. Policies to reduce air pollution have generated benefits that greatly outweigh their costs. Every euro spent for clean air generates at least four times the benefits.  The EU's policy to reduce air pollution is delivering solid results. Air quality has improved steadily over the past decades, and the EU is on track to cut the health impacts of air pollution by more than 55% by 2030 compared to 2005.”

At the occasion of the Clean Air Forum, the European Commission released its long-awaited evaluation of the National Emission Reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive. This directive sets percentage reduction commitments for air pollutants for each Member State, requires them to put in place policies and measures to reduce air pollutant emissions, and monitors progress. Its purpose is to cut harmful air pollutant emissions in a coordinated, cost-effective way, protecting health, ecosystems and quality of life across the EU. 

At the same time the Commission’s Joint Research Centre published two atlases showing air pollution concentrations with particles, covering 150 urban areas across the EU and 118 urban areas in candidate countries. Moreover, the European Environment Agency released an updated assessment of the health impacts from air pollution, which for the first time includes also dementia.

The Clean Air Forum besides keynote lectures also featured several panel debates, covering topics related to the NEC directive, health impacts and regional action, among others. MARCHES PI, prof. Mikael Skou Andersen, contributed to the panel on “Clean air innovation and investments for a competitive Europe”
Video recordings of the Clean Air Forum lectures and panels: Fifth EU Clean Air Forum (2025) - Environment - European Commission

See also;
NEC Directive evaluation: Evaluation shows EU clean air policy works, but further efforts needed - Environment 
JRC air pollution atlas: Air quality: PM2.5 atlases track pollution sources in EU cities and beyond - The Joint Research Centre: EU Science Hub 
EEA briefing: Harm to human health from air pollution in Europe: burden of disease status, 2025 | Publications | European Environment Agency (EEA)