(fra kommisjonsbeslutningen)

(1) Directive (EU) 2024/2881 establishes air quality standards and air quality monitoring and reporting obligations to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment. 

(2) Article 16 of Directive (EU) 2024/2881 allows Member States to identify zones and average exposure territorial units where exceedances of certain air quality standards are attributable to natural sources. Member States are to provide the Commission with lists of any such zones and average exposure territorial units, together with information on concentrations and sources and the evidence demonstrating that the exceedances are attributable to natural sources. When the Commission has been informed accordingly, such exceedances are not to be considered as an exceedance for the purpose of Directive (EU) 2024/2881. 

(3) Although Directive (EU) 2024/2881 provides for the possibility to subtract exceedances from natural sources for compliance assessment purposes, the health risks associated with high pollution concentrations, even where they originate from natural sources, remain. The subtraction of those contributions is not to prevent Member States from taking action to reduce their health impact, and where the applicable alert thresholds, referred to in Article 15 of Directive (EU) 2024/2881, are exceeded implement the short-term action plans required in accordance with Article 20 of Directive (EU) 2024/2881. 

(4) In accordance with Directive (EU) 2024/2881, the Commission is to provide technical details on the demonstration and subtraction of exceedances attributable to natural sources and to specify the content of the evidence to be provided by Member States demonstrating such exceedances. In order to ensure comparability across Member States those technical details should establish how to determine that a contribution from a natural source may be subtracted from the air pollutants measured and should set out the procedure to follow for the subtraction. Article 4, point (40), of Directive (EU) 2024/2881 provides an indicative list of natural events that are to be considered contributions from natural sources. 

(5) For the purpose of applying Article 16 of Directive (EU) 2024/2881 different events such as, volcanic eruptions, seismic and geothermal activity, wild land fires, sea sprays and the atmospheric resuspension or transport of natural particles from dry regions, may be considered natural sources. It is therefore appropriate to establish certain principles to guide Member States in identifying and demonstrating which contributions are attributable to natural sources and to avoid that events such as local dust re-suspension from hard surfaces in urban or rural areas, where this is by large associated with human activities and caused by, for example, traffic, road surface abrasion, and tyre and brake wear are unduly considered natural sources for the purpose of Article 16 of that Directive. 

(6) Different methodologies exist to demonstrate and subtract natural sources contributions and are expected to evolve in the future. It is therefore appropriate to provide technical details regarding the identification and quantification of contribution from natural sources regardless of the methods and methodologies used provided that they comply with certain principles ensuring their robustness. 

(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Ambient Air Quality Committee,