In line with these findings, the general perception among stake- holders and public opinion is that the air quality in Spain has improved but that there is still sufficient clearance for further action. An example of this is that in 2012, Spain was still facing difficulties in complying
with the European limit values for annual nitrogen dioxide (NO2) con- centrations in 4 air quality management zones, particulate matter (PM10) daily levels in 11 zones and ground-level ozone (O3) above tar- get value in 51 zones (Orío et al., 2013). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impacts and benefits of the general air quality policy mak- ing process in Spain between the adoption of the Gothenburg Protocol and the target year for the new reduction commitments in 2020. The ul- timate goal is to quantify the global improvement on the air quality question in Spain in order to provide enough guidance on the effective- ness of the measures that were undertaken and those that are still to be enforced towards the 2020 target year.