Following Commission 1996 Green Paper, the 2002/49/EC Directive created a coherent framework to deal with noise pollution.

One of the key objectives of the Directive is to set up harmonised indicators to improve the accuracy and standardisation of the data, so appropriate assessment can be done and appropriate action can be taken.

Therefore the Directive requires Member states to draw up strategic noise maps according to common indicators. To this end, the DG Env, released a position paper on EU noise indicators (2000), followed by a Commission recommendation on interim computation methods in 2003. Simultaneously, the working group on the assessment of exposure to noise published good practice guides for noise mapping.

The maps are drawn for major roads, railways, airports and agglomerations using Lden and Lnight harmonised indicators (Lden: day-evening-night equivalent level; Lnight: night equivalent level).

This week, the first strategic noise maps were published on the DG Env website, allowing assessment and management of noise pollution in the future.

This common basis is to be used to tackle the noise problem and also to monitor it. Effectively, action plans at local levels will be coherent thanks to these maps. They are to be published in June. However the directive does not make it compulsory to use these maps to draw actions plans and does not set any limit value which is at member states discretion.

Agglomerations maps: Birmingham England Paris Brussels Augsburg Helsinki

Airports maps: UK aviation maps Brussels airport map