EU air pollutant emissions: in 2024, 21 Member States met their 2020–2029 reduction commitments for all five main pollutants, ammonia remains the biggest challenge
On 1 July 2026 the European Environment Agency published an assessment of progress in reducing emissions of the five main air pollutants under the NEC Directive, based on 2024 data reported by the Member States in 2026. Six Member States failed to meet their commitments for at least one pollutant; Poland is not among them.
- Directive (EU) 2016/2284 sets national reduction commitments for NH₃, NMVOC, NOₓ, PM2.5 and SO₂ emissions relative to 2005 — for 2020–2029 and stricter ones from 2030. For Poland they are: SO₂ 59% and 70%, NOₓ 30% and 39%, NMVOC 25% and 26%, NH₃ 1% and 17%, PM2.5 16% and 58%.
- In 2024 Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Sweden did not meet their NH₃ commitments, and Cyprus and Lithuania their NOₓ commitments. Cyprus also needs to cut its SO₂ emissions significantly and to reduce its PM2.5 and NMVOC emissions further. Agriculture is the main source of ammonia in the EU, and road transport a key source of NOₓ.
- Against the 2030 targets, 21 Member States still need to reduce emissions of at least one pollutant; for NOₓ this applies to 17 Member States, while 25 have already met their SO₂ targets. Six Member States — Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands and Slovakia — met all their 2030 commitments in 2024.
- The data come from national emission inventories; the EEA notes that they have not yet been reviewed by the Commission and may change after the inventory review. In December 2025 the Commission completed its evaluation of the NEC Directive, which found that every euro spent on clean air yields benefits worth EUR 4–13.