New
Slovak project Populair part of European debate on air quality
05. 03. 2026
Air
The LIFE IP project – Improving Air Quality (Populair) participated in the international networking meeting of the LIFE programme aimed at improving air quality in Europe in early March. The event, entitled Achieving Clean Air for European Citizens through the Ambient Air Quality Directive, was organised by the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA) to bring together LIFE project partners, experts and representatives of the European Commission.
Air pollution remains a serious threat to public health in Europe. The revised Ambient Air Quality Directive sets stricter standards to better protect citizens and improve air quality across the EU.
Despite progress in recent years, air quality limits are still frequently exceeded in many European regions. Exposure to key pollutants such as fine dust particles and nitrogen dioxide continues to pose a significant health risk.
The aim of the event was to support the exchange of experiences between LIFE projects and to discuss how individual initiatives can contribute to the implementation of the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive, which sets stricter limits for pollutants and strengthens the health protection of European Union citizens.
Platform for sharing solutions
The event program offered presentations of LIFE projects from different European countries, discussions on best practices and thematic blocks dedicated to tools for improving air quality. Participants addressed topics such as pollution monitoring, planning measures at local and regional level, as well as effective communication with the public.
The networking meeting also provided a space for establishing new partnerships and exchanging practical experiences between projects addressing similar challenges in different parts of Europe.
Slovak project in the European debate
The Populair project joined the debate with the aim of sharing experiences from Slovakia and at the same time drawing inspiration from solutions implemented in other EU countries. The Populair project aims to improve the implementation of air quality improvement programmes in Slovakia by strengthening the capacities and competences of regional and local authorities and raising public awareness on air pollution issues.
Participation in the networking meeting confirmed the importance of international cooperation in addressing environmental challenges and enabled the Slovak project to establish contacts with other LIFE initiatives dedicated to air protection.
The common goal of all participating projects is to contribute to ensuring that European citizens can breathe cleaner air and that environmental policies are effectively translated into practice at both national and local levels.
