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Ordinary legislative procedure First reading

Ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (recast)

A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.

Where it stands: Completed: published in the Official Journal on 20 November 2024 and now EU law.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 19 January 2023
  2. ✓ Committee work Report adopted 27 June 2023
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 5 July 2023
  4. ✓ Negotiations with the Council Deal approved in committee 11 March 2024
  5. ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 24 April 2024
  6. ✓ Published as law 20 November 2024
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.

Who is working on it

Lead committee
ENVI — Environment, Climate and Food Safety
Rapporteur
Javi LÓPEZ S&D
Shadow rapporteurs
MEP #197582 IDNorbert LINS PPEAnna ZALEWSKA ECRKarin KARLSBRO RenewNicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ Verts/ALEMEP #197805 The Left
For opinion
TRAN — Transport and Tourism · rapporteur MEP #197756 S&DJURI — Legal Affairs · rapporteur Magdalena ADAMOWICZ PPE

The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.

The text, version by version

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA9-0319/2024 24 April 2024 ✦ Parliament adopted its first-reading position on a proposed directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, a recast of existing law. The position corresponds to the final legislative act, Directive (EU) 2024/2881.⇄ what changed Adopted by Parliament Adopted text TA9-0318/2023 13 September 2023 ✦ Parliament's amended version of the proposed directive on ambient air quality sets a zero pollution objective for air quality to be achieved by 2050 at the latest.⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A9-0233/2023 5 July 2023 ✦ Parliament's amended version of the Commission proposal for a directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (recast) sets new air quality standards to be met by 2030 and regularly reviewed thereafter.⇄ what changed Committee draft Draft report (ENVI) 23 February 2023 ✦ This is the rapporteur's draft report on the Commission proposal for a directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (recast). It proposes amendments to align EU air quality standards fully with the 2021 WHO Air Quality Guidelines by 2030.

Committee opinions: Opinion (TRAN),Draft opinion (TRAN)

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.

Timeline

  1. Outcome
  2. 20 November 2024 Published in the Official Journal

    The act is now EU law.

  3. 23 October 2024 Signed by the Presidents of Parliament and the Council

    The last step before the act is published in the Official Journal.

  4. Plenary stage
  5. 24 April 2024 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 24 April 2024 📄 Adopted text TA9-0319/2024📄 Report A9-0233/2023
    Adopted Adopted by a clear majority
    For 381 Against 225 Abstained 17

    Final vote on the provisional agreement at 13:38 · 61% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →

  6. Negotiations with the Council
  7. 11 March 2024 Committee approved the deal reached with the Council

    The provisional agreement from the trilogues goes to the whole Parliament for a vote.

  8. 13 September 2023 Parliament opened negotiations with the Council

    After its vote Parliament sent the file back to committee, so that its negotiators can seek a compromise text with the Council (in “trilogues”).

  9. Plenary stage
  10. 13 September 2023 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 13 September 2023 📄 Adopted text TA9-0318/2023📄 Council / Commission text C9-0364/2022📄 Report A9-0233/2023
  11. 12 September 2023 Debated in plenary

    MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.

    Sitting of 12 September 2023 📄 Council / Commission text C9-0364/2022📄 Report A9-0233/2023
  12. 5 July 2023 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A9-0233/2023
  13. Committee stage
  14. 27 June 2023 Committee vote: report adopted

    ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.

  15. 27 June 2023 Committee opinion adopted

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 JURI-AL-750118
  16. 24 May 2023 TRAN (Transport and Tourism) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (TRAN)
  17. 23 February 2023 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text in ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 Draft report (ENVI)
  18. 19 January 2023 Referred to the ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety) committee

    The lead committee prepares the report; TRAN (Transport and Tourism), JURI (Legal Affairs) give an opinion.