EU presses on with anti-pollution law after Commission U-turn

By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union president Latvia will push ahead with a law to clamp down on air pollution after the European Commission’s plan to withdraw the proposals was rejected by many lawmakers. Air pollution from traffic and industry is responsible for about 400,000 premature deaths per year in the European Union, according to Commission data. An angry backlash from some member states and many in the European Parliament forced the issue back onto the agenda. “We are glad the Commission has decided to keep the NEC (National Emissions Ceiling) directive on the table,” said Alda Ozola, a deputy state secretary in the environment ministry of Latvia, which holds the rotating EU presidency until end-June.
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