A letter written by multiple signatories calling on the EU to put citizens' health ahead of the interests of the automotive industry.
Following the decision made last February by Members of the European Parliament – including many Italians – to raise the emission limits for all new models, the Euro 6 standards, the collective response of 20 mayors from Europe's major cities has arrived in recent days. Under the new directive, vehicles in circulation will be permitted to emit 110 per cent more (from 60 to 126 mg/km for petrol engines and 168 mg/km for diesel) than what had been allowed until now.
As mayors "of many of Europe's great cities, we have a duty to protect the health of our citizens and to guarantee them a healthy environment and a decent quality of life," so begins the letter, signed among others by Milan's mayor Giuliano Pisapia.
"How can we protect the health of our fellow citizens when the European Union gives road transport permission to pollute, to the detriment of public health?" reads another passage. "What can we tell parents whose children suffer from acute respiratory disorders, or elderly people and the most vulnerable? Must we tell them that their government has prioritised the health of the automotive industry over their own?"
A legitimate question, especially in light of the air pollution figures recorded in recent months: in Italy, 84,400 premature deaths are caused by smog. Germany follows with 72,000 and France with 58,400. "Despite the continuous improvements of recent decades, air pollution still affects the health of Europeans, reducing quality of life and life expectancy," Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the EEA, had stated.
"We believe this decision is unjust and wrong," the appeal continues. "It is unacceptable to introduce emission thresholds only to allow them to be violated. It cannot be right to impose an obligation on public authorities to comply with air pollution standards, while at the same time giving the automotive industry the green light to breach them."
Many mayors have already taken far-sighted decisions to reduce pollutants. From Hamburg to Oslo, from Madrid to London. But Milan is also among them, with the enhancement of public transport and shared mobility.
What can we tell parents whose children suffer from acute respiratory disorders, or elderly people and the most vulnerable?
"We call on governments across Europe to use every legal and political means at their disposal to ensure that air pollution standards in Europe are enforced consistently across every sector. The health of our citizens depends on it," the letter concludes.
The signatory mayors: Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris. Eberhard van der Laan, Mayor of Amsterdam. Yorgos Kaminis, Mayor of Athens. Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona. Yvan Mayeur, Mayor of Brussels. Ioan-Razvan Sava, Mayor of Bucharest. István Tarlós, Mayor of Budapest. Frank Jensen, Mayor of Copenhagen. Alexiei Dingli, Mayor of Valletta. Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon. Manuela Carmena, Mayor of Madrid. Giuliano Pisapia, Mayor of Milan. Constantinos Yiorkadjis, Mayor of Nicosia. Raymond Johansen, Mayor of Oslo. Nils Ušakovs, Mayor of Riga. Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam. Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia. Karin Wanngård, Mayor of Stockholm. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Mayor of Warsaw. Michael Häupl, Mayor of Vienna.