EU auditors warn cities unlikely to meet tougher air, noise pollution targets

By Charlotte Van Campenhout

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union cities are unlikely to meet stricter air quality and noise pollution targets in the coming years, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said on Wednesday, warning that both issues remain significant health threats.

With air quality standards soon to become tougher, cities will need to increase their efforts to meet the new regulations and move closer to the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

The EU has set a target to reduce the number of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30% by 2030. However, the ECA estimates that the reduction will be only 19% at best, and in the worst-case scenario, it could even increase by 3% by 2030.

The ECA also concluded that, despite some progress, air pollution remains high and noise levels excessive in EU cities, where three-quarters of the population resides.

The main challenges to meeting targets include poor coordination among authorities, the questionable effectiveness of measures, and local resistance.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Mark Potter)