National air pollution control programmes
Article 6
1
Member States shall draw up, adopt and implement their respective national air pollution control programmes in accordance with Part 1 of Annex III in order to limit their annual anthropogenic emissions in accordance with Article 4, and to contribute to achieving the objectives of this Directive pursuant to Article 1(1).
2
When drawing up, adopting and implementing the programme referred to in paragraph 1, Member States shall:
a
assess to what extent national emission sources are likely to have an impact on air quality in their territories and neighbouring Member States using, where appropriate, data and methodologies developed by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) under the Protocol to the LRTAP Convention on long-term financing of the cooperative programme for monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in Europe;
b
take account of the need to reduce air pollutant emissions for the purpose of reaching compliance with air quality objectives in their territories and, where appropriate, in neighbouring Member States;
c
prioritise emission reduction measures for black carbon when taking measures to achieve their national reduction commitments for fine particulate matter;
d
ensure coherence with other relevant plans and programmes established by virtue of the requirements set out in national or Union legislation.
With a view to complying with the relevant national emission reduction commitments, Member States shall include in their national air pollution control programmes the emission reduction measures laid down as obligatory in Part 2 of Annex III and may include in those programmes the emission reduction measures laid down as optional in Part 2 of Annex III or measures having equivalent mitigation effect.
3
Member States shall update their national air pollution control programmes at least every four years.
4
Without prejudice to paragraph 3, the emission reduction policies and measures contained in the national air pollution control programmes shall be updated within 18 months of the submission of the latest national emission inventory or national emission projections if, according to the submitted data, the obligations set out in Article 4 are not complied with or if there is a risk of non-compliance.
5
Member States shall consult the public, in accordance with Directive 2003/35/EC, and the competent authorities, which, by reason of their specific environmental responsibilities in the field of air pollution, quality and management at all levels, are likely to be concerned by the implementation of the national air pollution control programmes, on their draft national air pollution control programmes and any significant updates prior to the finalisation of those programmes.
6
Where appropriate, transboundary consultations shall be conducted.
7
The Commission shall facilitate the elaboration and implementation of the national air pollution control programmes, where appropriate, through an exchange of good practices.
8
The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 16 to amend this Directive with regard to the adaptation of Part 2 of Annex III to developments, including technical progress, within the framework of the LRTAP Convention.
9
The Commission may establish guidance on the elaboration and implementation of national air pollution control programmes.
10
The Commission shall also specify by means of implementing acts, the format of the national air pollution control programmes. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 17.