HEAL considers that a focus on reducing administrative cost and burden to businesses is a shortsighted and narrow perspective, disregarding the significant costs to people's health and the need for strengthened resilience of the natural environment in view of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss.
Over 100 people and institutions from the Polish healthcare, medical, and scientific sectors, together with the HEAL, call on Polish authorities to strengthen efforts for clean air for health. It is the largest engagement from Poland’s health sector on clean air to date.
The EU’s Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) was adopted in 2024 and foresees stricter, legally binding maximum concentration limits for key air pollutants including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and nitrogen dioxides. The AAQD is a milestone for public health and a significant step towards cleaner air for Europe. The new law has significant potential to lessen people’s suffering, prevent disease, and achieve economic savings. The EU Commission estimates that the benefits of the revised law will be seven times higher than the implementation cost.
“A record number of Polish organizations and individuals from the health, medical, and scientific sectors have engaged in the fight for clean air in Poland. The AAQD is a significant step towards improving public health and has enormous potential to reduce harm and prevent disease. The Polish authorities should listen to these concerns and take urgent action,” emphasizes Weronika Michalak, director of HEAL Poland.
Poland is the country with one of the highest burdens of disease from air pollution in the EU. According to an OECD estimate, the cost from poor air quality exceeds 10% of the national GDP. Therefore, with a timely transposition and implementation of the AAQD significant health economic benefits will be achieved in Poland.
In their call, signatories urge the Polish Prime Minister, the President as well as ministers to take action to address air pollution swiftly. The adoption of the legal act to transpose the AAQD into national law is only foreseen for the last quarter of 2026, close to the legally binding deadline for transposition of 11 December 2026. Polish health experts also call on decision-makers to not request a delay of the 2030 deadline for the stricter standards, as this would increase the health burden and cost. The Polish health sector also urges for the inclusion of clean air considerations when updating the country’s national health programme.
“Air pollution poses the greatest environmental threat to the health of Polish people. It causes a significant increase in premature deaths and illnesses. The health costs and productivity losses resulting from poor air quality in Poland are unacceptably high. We therefore call on Polish decision-makers to immediately implement the revised AAQD. The health benefits will be felt immediately and will far outweigh the implementation costs.” HEAL Deputy Director Anne Stauffer states
