The 2016 Directive on National Emission Ceilings

In 2016, the European institutions, i.e., the EU Parliament, the EU Council and the EU Commission, reached agreement on a revised Directive on National Emission Ceilings for 2030. 

The agreement builds on the 2013 proposal of the European Commission, and the subsequent negotiations have been informed by model analyses with IIASA's GAINS model.

Following the presentation of the Clean Air Policy Package and the Commission proposal for a revised National Emission Ceilings Directive, negotiations between the European Institutions aimed at a final agreement that establish the emission reduction requirements as legal obligations. 

While initially the institutions disagreed on the policy objectives established by the Commission proposal, it was agreed to adopt IIASA's quantitative GAINS framework for impact assessment as a common technical language, and IIASA was invited by the three institutions to conduct independently further policy analyses with GAINS:

Upon invitation of the European Commission, IIASA explored the implications of the measures proposed in the Clean Air Policy Package on urban air quality:

TSAP Report #12: 

Furthermore, IIASA explored options for allow flexibility in the achievement of national emission ceilings that would not compromise the air quality benefits of the original ceilings:

The European Council, representing the Member States, initiated another round of bilateral consultations between IIASA and experts from Member States to further refine the GAINS input data and adjust them to the latest information as of 2014. Outcomes of these bilateral consultations are documented in: 

Upon invitation of the  European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, IIASA carried out a study to examine the interactions between the European Union’s air quality policy and the proposed EU climate and energy policy. 

The implications of the final agreement have been analyzed in the 2018 Clean Air Outlook of the European Commission

Print this page

Last edited: 14 June 2018

Link to the European Commission web site

MORE INFORMATION

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313