Air quality across Europe has improved dramatically over the past two decades, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, but new findings from the European Environment Agency (EEA) reveal persistent challenges, with agricultural ammonia emissions remaining stubbornly high.
The EEA’s five-yearly State of Europe’s Environment report shows that emissions of major pollutants have fallen significantly since 2005. Sulphur dioxide dropped by 85%, nitrogen oxides by 53%, PM2.5 by 38% and non-methane volatile organic compounds by 35%.
These improvements are largely attributed to stricter vehicle standards, cleaner fuels, industrial upgrades and a shift away from coal in the energy sector.
But ammonia tells a different story. Emissions of the pollutant, which is primarily released by agriculture through manure and fertiliser use, have decreased by just 17% over the same period.
The EEA warns that ammonia is now the EU’s biggest obstacle to meeting air quality commitments. Twenty-one Member States must take ‘significant additional action’ to cut emissions from farming practices if they are to meet the 2030 goals under the EU’s zero pollution action plan.
Despite this challenge, Europe has achieved major public health gains. Deaths linked to PM2.5 exposure above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines fell by 45% between 2005 and 2022, dropping from 431,000 to 239,000 annually. Fatalities related to NO2 exposure fell even faster, down 53% in the same period.
Yet air pollution remains Europe’s leading environmental health risk. Even if the EU achieves its 2030 target of cutting premature deaths by 55% compared to 2005, around 200,000 people are still expected to die each year from dirty air.
Looking further ahead, projections suggest that in 2050 roughly 30% of EU residents could still be exposed to PM2.5 concentrations above WHO guidelines unless more ambitious measures are adopted.
At the same time, air pollution continues to affect populations unequally. The EEA found that between 2007 and 2022, concentrations of PM2.5 were consistently about one-third higher in Europe’s poorest regions compared to its wealthiest areas.
In 2007, residents in the richest regions faced average PM2.5 levels of 15 µg/m³, while those in poorer areas were exposed to 19.5 µg/m³. By 2022, air quality had improved across the board, but the gap between rich and poor remained unchanged.
Experts say this inequality reflects a broader pattern: disadvantaged communities often face higher exposure to environmental hazards, while wealthier regions have more resources to invest in cleaner energy, transport, and infrastructure. Yet despite growing awareness, the EU has no explicit policy targets to address environmental health inequalities.
The EEA stresses that achieving Europe’s 2030 and 2050 goals will require full implementation of existing legislation, stricter standards under the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive and targeted measures in agriculture, energy and transport.
Monitoring of ‘new’ pollutants such as ultrafine particles and black carbon will begin in 2026, offering a clearer picture of emerging risks.
The report concludes that while Europe benefitted from the relatively easy gains of industrial and transport sector reforms, its next phase will be more complex. To cut deaths further, close inequality gaps and meet zero pollution goals, the EU must confront tougher challenges in farming practices, regional disparities and the stubborn pollutants still shaping the air Europeans breathe.
The full report can be read here.
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