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A new report by The European Court of Auditors finds that while European cities have cleaner air, they are still too noisy.
A new report by The European Court of Auditors finds European cities have cleaner air but are still too noisy.
The report states it proved difficult to assess progress made in reducing noise pollution.
Most EU member states have gaps and delays in assessing and reporting on noise pollution.
The lack of EU noise reduction targets "disincentivises member states to prioritise actions to reduce noise pollution effectively."
Noise reporting thresholds "only cover part of the EU population that may be exposed to harmful levels of noise."
The audit was conducted as the European Commission is halfway through its 2030 zero-pollution targets.
The report recommends introducing EU noise-reduction targets and noise limits in the 2002 Environmental Noise Directive.
The report recommends aligning the noise exposure reporting thresholds as closely as possible with those recommended by the World Health Organization.
External resources
A new report by The European Court of Auditors finds that while European cities have cleaner air, they are still too noisy. The report states it proved difficult to assess progress made in reducing noise pollution - mainly due to gaps and delays in assessing and reporting on noise pollution by most EU member states. It also considers that the lack of EU noise reduction targets disincentivises member states to prioritise actions to reduce noise pollution effectively, and that the noise reporting thresholds only cover part of the EU population that may be exposed to harmful levels of noise. The audit was conducted as the European Commission is halfway through its 2030 zero-pollution targets. It recommends introducing EU noise-reduction targets and noise limits in the 2002 Environmental Noise Directive, and aligning the noise exposure reporting thresholds as closely as possible with those recommended by the World Health Organization.
Full report: Special report 02/2025: Urban pollution in the EU | European Court of Auditors