EU Commission calls on SLOVENIA to protect its population against air pollution

The Commission is calling on Slovenia to comply with the requirements of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.

The national system should reliably measure, inform the public and report about the gravity of air pollution. In particular, Slovenia has failed to ensure compliance with the limit values for particulate matter (PM10) in Celinsko Območje and has not taken appropriate measures to keep exceedance periods as short as possible.

Particulate matter is a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air, which affect human health and can affect animals in the same way. It also affects plant growth and ecosystem processes, reduce visibility and decrease agricultural yields.

Therefore, the Commission decided today to send a reasoned opinion to Slovenia, giving it four months to address the shortcomings identified by the Commission.

Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Vivian Loonela