The Nordic countries, good performers when it comes to air quality

According to the EEA, the cities with the cleanest air are Uppsala (3.5 µg/m³) and Umea (3.6 µg/m³) in Sweden, and Faro (3.6 µg/m³) in Portugal. The worst air quality was recorded in Slavonski Brod, Croatia (26.5 µg/m³). Only 13 cities in Europe have an average concentration of fine particles within the WHO guidelines (5 µg/m³). In France, none of the cities in which measurements were taken met this threshold. Their fine-particle concentrations range from 5 to 15 µg/m³.

Overall, cities in the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia) and Western Europe (France, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, etc.) have better air quality than those in Eastern Europe (Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, etc.).

To improve the situation presented by the tool and achieve, by 2030, the European objective of reducing premature deaths due to fine particles by at least 55% compared to 2005 levels, the directive on ambient air quality will be revised to bring European Union air quality standards closer to WHO guidelines.

The EEA is also due to publish an analysis of the effects of air pollution on ecosystems and human health.

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