National Air Quality Programme

Directive (EU) 2016/2284 (EUR-Lex) on the reduction of national emissions of certain air pollutants (“NEC Directive”), which was transposed into national law by the Air Emissions Act 2018 (Emissionsgesetz-Luft 2018, EG-L 2018), Federal Law Gazette I No. 75/2018 (RIS) (in German only), obliges all Member States to prepare and regularly update a national air quality programme. This programme is intended to demonstrate compliance with national reduction targets for emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), ammonia (NH₃) and fine particulate matter PM₂.₅. The first national air quality programme (“National Air Quality Programme 2019”) was adopted by the Federal Government in July 2019.

In 2023, the national air quality programme was revised; as part of the public consultation, comments on the draft published online could be submitted from 14 December 2023 to 2 February 2024. The updated programme, finalised taking into account the comments received, was adopted by the Federal Government on 20 March 2024. The programme shows that, with the measures implemented to date, significant emission reductions have been achieved for all pollutants except ammonia, that the emission reduction commitments applicable from 2020 are being met, and that compliance with the commitments applicable from 2030 is expected. With measures that have since been adopted and additional measures, rapid compliance with the already applicable emission reduction commitment for ammonia is also expected, as is compliance with the commitment applicable from 2030.

The programme is available below (“National Air Quality Programme 2023”) and is hereby promulgated in accordance with Section 6(6) of the Air Emissions Act 2018 (RIS) (in German only).