The latest European Environment Agency report shows air is getting cleaner in Europe, but persistent pollution, especially in cities, still damages people’s health and the economy.
Volkswagen Group is much more successful in convincing Dieselgate-affected consumers to have the illegal defeat device removed from their car in Western Europe than in Eastern Europe.
Every year, about 10,000 people across Europe die prematurely because of diesel car emissions exceeding limits
Nine member states face fines if they don’t take steps to comply with the emission reduction they promised.
“People across Europe overwhelmingly want the health, environmental, and employment benefits that come with switching from dirty coal, oil and gas to a universally accessible, affordable and renewably powered energy system and energy efficiency”.
Despite the Dieselgate scandal, diesel-fueled cars are still the most popular in Europe. A trend that is slowly changing, as governments and the public opinion are starting to grasp with their impact on public health.
Many citizens of south-east Europe cannot afford to properly heat their own homes. The impact on health and air pollution is serious, but energy poverty has recently begun to decline.
Only half of Volkswagen Group's problematic cars in Bulgaria have received a software update, and now the country risks being flooded with low-quality polluting vehicles from Western Europe.
The 16 coal power plants in the western Balkans cause as much pollution as the 250 plants active within the European Union. The health impact is severe, and not just within the region.
Seven out of eight audited EU countries "have not effectively implemented" a decade-old directive on air quality rules, according to a report published at the end of January.