Hungary Latest EU State to have Broken Bloc’s Air Quality Laws

Hungary is the latest member state found to have breached the European Union’s rules on air pollution in a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on Wednesday.

Budapest “manifestly failed’’ to take enough action to keep as short as possible periods of time when there was too much airborne particulate, a common proxy air pollution indicator, the ECJ judges found, according to a press release.

Two regions, Budapest, the nearby Sajo valley, and the Pecs area are at the centre of the ruling involving several periods of time between 2005 and 2017.

“The daily limit value for particulate matter PM10 was very regularly exceeded in the zones in question,’’ the official press release stated.

Hungary did draw up air pollution plans and take appropriate measures, the bloc’s top court acknowledged, but these were too vague in terms of expected outcome and time frame.

The case was brought by the European Commission, which is responsible for monitoring member states’ compliance with EU rules.

The ECJ already sided with the EU executive in similar cases against France and Italy.

EU laws state that PM10 levels must be below 40 microns per cubic metre on average during the year and may not rise above 50 microns per cubic metre on more than 35 days within a year.

Keeping PM10 emissions under control is crucial as chronic exposure can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and contribute to lung cancer, according to the World Health Organisation.

Sources of particulate matter emissions include energy production and distribution, industry and manufacturing, and agriculture.