Commission welcomes agreement to curb air pollution The European Commission has welcomed the EU Environment Ministers' recent agreement to curb air pollution from power generators and set new limits for four major air pollutants, aimed to address the problems of summer smog and acidification. 'The agreement reached on the pro... The European Commission has welcomed the EU Environment Ministers' recent agreement to curb air pollution from power generators and set new limits for four major air pollutants, aimed to address the problems of summer smog and acidification. 'The agreement reached on the proposals on large combustion plants (LCPs) and national emissions ceilings (NECs) will more than halve the emissions of sulphur dioxide from existing power plants' predicts the Commission. By 2010, overall emissions of sulphur dioxide will be reduced by 77%, nitrogen oxides by 51%, volatile organic compounds by 54% and ammonia by 14%, compared to1990 levels. The Council has now accepted the Commission's objective to further reduce emissions beyond those committed in a UNECE Protocol signed last December in Gothenburg. 'These will take the Community two thirds of the way towards meeting its objective for acidification and over half way towards its health objective for ozone,' says the Commission. 'This is a package which proves that the EU is determined to set ambitious goals on environmental protection and deliver results. At the same time the agreement sets an important environmental benchmark for negotiations with Candidate Countries in the enlargement process,' commented Margot Wallström, European Commissioner for the Environment. A review is planned for 2004.
