Join this webinar organised by HEAL and EFA and navigate with us through the different air and health information systems.
Air pollution is the European Union’s top environmental threat to health, contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year and hundreds of billions of euros in health-related costs, from hospitalisations and sick days to rising medication use. Poor air quality is a major risk factor for chronic diseases including cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and respiratory illness. In 2024, over 90% reporting stations registered concentrations above the WHO guideline levels for PM2.5.
The 2024 EU Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) offers an unprecedentedopportunity to save lives and prevent further ill-health. By setting stricter limits on key pollutants, strengthening monitoring, and improving how the public — especially vulnerable groups — is informed and alerted, the directive could prevent significant suffering and disease while delivering economic benefits the European Commission estimates at seven times the cost of investment.
In delivering for clean air for health the role of member states is key: EU member states have to complete EU Ambient Air Quality Directive transposition into national law by 11 December 2026, with the new requirements, including stricter legally binding limit values, taking effect on 1 January 2030.
In this countdown to clean air for health, HEAL is highlighting the ways the health community can become involved in transposing the AAQD into national law:
A webinar on 10 June 2026, exactly 6 months before the transposition deadline, brought together health experts from various member states – Poland, Germany, Spain – as well as the European Commission, to present a snapshot on transposition developments, opportunities and challenges on the way to cleaner air for health.
A briefing, published on 7 September 2026, the International Day for Clean Air and Blue Skies, examines the road ahead for that transposition process, including an update on progress in Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain. It also sets out recommendations for EU, national and city decision-makers—from avoiding delays in adopting the new limits to tackling socio-economic inequalities in air quality. Finally, it offers practical guidance for doctors, patients and health scientists on how to advocate for swift and full implementation at every level.
A joint webinar with the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) on 12 November 2026 will focus on air quality forecast and alert systems, and air quality indeces which have been valuable tools for people across Europe and are included with updated requirements in the AAQD, for information to the public and to vulnerable groups, as a response to the latest science and people’s concerns.
