Poor air quality is a major issue in Europe, both for public
health, the economy and the environment. Significant progress has
been achieved in the past 20 years in the European Union (EU) by a
dedicated and common policy in the field of anthropogenic
atmospheric emissions and air quality, including the “Thematic
Strategy on Air Pollution” (COM(2005)446 final), the National
Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive (2001/81/EC), and the Directive
2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe,
among others.