Commission Decision of 29 April 2004 laying down a questionnaire to be used for annual reporting on ambient air quality assessment under Council Directives 96/62/EC and 1999/30/EC and under Directives 2000/69/EC and 2002/3/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2004) 1714) (Text with EEA relevance) (2004/461/EC) (repealed)

Commission Decision

of 29 April 2004

laying down a questionnaire to be used for annual reporting on ambient air quality assessment under Council Directives 96/62/EC and 1999/30/EC and under Directives 2000/69/EC and 2002/3/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

(notified under document number C(2004) 1714)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2004/461/EC) (repealed)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 96/62/EC of 27 September 1996 on ambient air quality assessment and management(1), and in particular Article 12(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Directive 96/62/EC establishes the framework for assessment and management of ambient air quality and provides that detailed arrangements are to be laid down for the reporting of information on air quality.

(2) Council Directive 1999/30/EC of 22 April 1999 relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air(2) lays down limit values to be met on a certain target date.

(3) Commission Decision 2001/839/EC laying down a questionnaire to be used for annual reporting on ambient air quality assessment under Directives 96/62/EC and 1999/30/EC(3) provided a model on the basis of which Member States were to provide the information on air quality required under those Directives.

(4) Directive 2000/69/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2000 relating to limit values for benzene and carbon monoxide in ambient air(4) lays down limit values to be met on a certain target date. Directive 2002/3/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2002 relating to ozone in ambient air(5) lays down target values, long-term objectives, information and alert thresholds which create certain obligations. Regular reporting by Member States is an integral element of those Directives, read in conjunction with Directive 96/62/EC and indispensable for checking compliance with those obligations.

(5) Moreover, a number of items set out in Article 11 of Directive 96/62/EC with regard to the pollutants covered by Directives 1999/30/EC, 2002/69/EC and 2002/3/EC must be reported on an annual basis.

(6) According to Directive 1999/30/EC, provisions on reporting under Council Directive 80/779/EEC on air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates(6),Council Directive 82/884/EEC of 3 December 1982 on a limit value for lead in the air(7) and Council Directive 85/203/EEC of 7 March 1982 on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide(8) are repealed with effect from 19 July 2001, although the limit values under these Directives remain in force until 2005 for Directives 80/779/EEC and 82/884/EEC, and 2010 for Directive 85/203/EEC and reporting on exceedences of these limit values continues according to Article 9(6) of Directive 1999/30/EC.

(7) In order to ensure that the required information is supplied in the correct format, Member States should be required to submit it on the basis of a standardised questionnaire.

(8) The questionnaire laid down by Decision 2001/839/EC should be extended to cover also the annual reporting obligations resulting from Directives 2000/69/EC and 2002/3/EC, while at the same time introducing some amendments related to Directive 1999/30/EC, which are made for clarification and in order to ensure a better assessment of the reports.

(9) Decision 2001/839/EC should be replaced in the interests of clarity.

(10) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee instituted by Article 12 (2) of Directive 96/62/EC,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(1)

OJ L 296, 21.11.1996, p. 55. Directive as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).

(2)

OJ L 163, 29.6.1999, p.41. Directive as amended by Decision 2001/744/EC (OJ L 278, 23.10.2001, p. 35).

(3)

OJ L 319, 4.12.2001, p.45.

(4)

OJ L 313, 13.12.2000, p.12.

(5)

OJ L 67, 9.3.2002, p. 14.

(6)

OJ L 229, 30.8.1980, p.30.

(7)

OJ L378, 31.12.1982, p.15.

(8)

OJ L 87, 27.3.1985, p.1.