This study supported the Commission in the evaluation of the NEC Directive with the overall objective of providing evidence on whether the Directive is meeting its objectives and is still fit for purpose, by assessing its effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance, and EU added value.
CLIENT:
European Commission (DG ENV)
Focus:
The National Emissions reduction Commitments Directive (2016/2284, NEC Directive) is one of the key pillars of air pollution control legislation in the EU. It seeks to reduce national emissions of key air pollutants (sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), ammonia (NH3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)), thereby reducing the impact of air pollution on human and environmental health. In early 2024, the European Commission initiated an evaluation of the NEC Directive, following the Better Regulation Guidelines.
Purpose of project:
This study supported the Commission in the evaluation of the NEC Directive with the overall objective of providing evidence on whether the Directive is meeting its objectives and is still fit for purpose, by assessing its effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance, and EU added value.
What we delivered:
Working alongside partners at Aether, RPA Europe, IIASA, EMRC and the University of Hertfordshire, we:
- Carried out a comprehensive programme of stakeholder engagement and analysed and synthesised the data gathered to answer the evaluation questions.
- Reviewed the scope and relevance of the NEC Directive regarding emissions from specific sectors, i.e., agriculture, maritime traffic and aviation.
- Assessed the state of implementation across the EU of agricultural emission reduction measures set out in the Directive and their ongoing relevance in view of technical progress and assessed overall coherence of the NEC Directive with wider EU agricultural policy.
- Analysed the costs and benefits of implementation of the NEC Directive and identified possible unnecessary costs and options for simplification.
Link to published report: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/f2e22a18-cccf-11f0-8da2-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
View all case studies