News

On the occasion of Earth Day, public attention naturally focuses on protecting nature. Alongside visible components of the environment such as water, soil, and forests, air often remains in the background. Yet it is the most significant environmental factor affecting human health.

On April 14, 2026, the first meeting of the Air and Health working group took place. Air quality is a significant environmental factor affecting public health, and it is therefore in the interest of responsible authorities to adopt measures to improve it and protect public health. The working group is an initiative of the LIFE IP – Air Quality Improvement (Populair) project, aiming to identify areas that go beyond the competencies of the environmental sector and to seek solutions to improve air quality in the interest of protecting the health of Slovakia’s population and meeting international commitments.

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.

On February 19, 2026, the Trenčín District Office issued and published the Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) for the Trenčín Region zone. The document is intended to help reduce pollutant emissions and improve air quality, especially in areas threatened by poor air quality. The PZKO measures focus, for example, on local household heating, transport or public information, and are targeted at risk municipalities in the region.

The Slovak Environmental Agency, as part of the LIFE Populair project, invites teachers of the second level of primary schools and secondary school teachers to methodological days dedicated to the manual on methods of air quality assessment. The methodological days will take place in various regions of Slovakia from March to April.

In recent days, the 6th monitoring visit of the LIFE IP project – Improving Air Quality took place, with the participation of a representative from the ELMEN organization, responsible for monitoring and presenting projects supported by the European Union under the LIFE program. The monitoring visit took place in a very constructive and positive atmosphere. The project is progressing successfully and the activities are being implemented according to the approved schedule.

In early December, a mobile monitoring station was installed in Ratnovce, western Slovakia, to measure PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 dust particles in the village for a defined period. This is an important milestone for the village, which has been increasingly active in the issue of air quality in recent years.

Under the title of the Meeting of Supporters of Environmental Education, Training and Awareness (EVVO), teachers, coordinators and professionals from all over Slovakia, across regions, departments and institutions, met on November 27, 2025, at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, for the purpose of education in the field of air protection. The awareness-raising event, organized as part of the LIFE Populair project activities, was carried out in the spirit of air topics.

An introductory meeting on the update of the Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) for the Trnava Region zone was held at the Trnava Self-Governing Region Office on December 4, 2025. The event was organized by the Trnava District Office in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic and the Trnava Self-Governing Region (TTSG) as part of the activities of the LIFE IP project – Air Quality Improvement (Populair). The currently valid program was issued by the Trnava District Office in 2013, therefore its update is one of the key tasks of the upcoming period.

In connection with the assessment of the impacts of strategic documents on the environment (SEA), a public discussion of the draft Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) and the Report on the Evaluation of the Strategic Document for the Trenčín Region Zone was held on November 20, 2025.