29.6.1999 Official Journal of the European Communities L 163/41 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 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 130s(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Atrticle 189c¢ of the Treaty (%), ) Whereas, on the basis of principles enshrined in Article 130r of the Treaty, the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable devel- opment  (the fifth  Environment  Action Programme) (*) envisages in particular amendments to legislation on air pollutants; whereas that programme recommends the establishment of long-term air-quality objectives; Whereas Article 129 of the Treaty provides that health-protection requirements shall form a constituent part of the Community’s other policies; whereas Article 3(o) of the Treaty provides that the activities of the Community shall include a contri- bution to the attainment of a high level of health protection; Whereas, pursuant to Article 4(5) of Council Directive 96/62/EC of 27 September 1996 on ambient air quality assessment and management (%), the Council is to adopt the legislation provided for in paragraph 1 and the provisions laid down in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the same Article; Whereas the limit values laid down in this Directive are minimum requirements; whereas, in accordance with Article 130t of the Treaty, Member States may maintain or introduce more stringent protective measures; whereas, in particular, stricter limit values may be introduced to protect the health of particularly vulnerable categories of the (") OJ C 9, 14.1.1998, p. 6. (3) OJ C 214, 10.7.1998, p. 1. () Opinion of the European Parliament of 13 May 1998 (OJ C 167, 1.6.1998, p. 103), Council Common Position of 24 September 1998 (O] C 360, 23.11.1998, p. 99) and Decision of the European Parliament of 13 January 1999 (O] C 104, 14.4.1999, p. 44). () OJ C 138, 17.5.1993, p. S. () OJ L 296, 21.11.1996, p. SS. population, such as children and hospital patients; whereas a Member State may require that limit values be attained before the dates laid down in this Directive; Whereas ecosystems should be protected against the adverse effects of sulphur dioxide; whereas vegetation should be protected against the adverse effects of oxides of nitrogen; Whereas different types of particles can have different harmful effects on human health; whereas there is evidence that risks to human health asso- ciated with exposure to man-made particulate matter are higher than risks associated with exposure to naturally occurring particles in ambient air; Whereas Directive 96/62/EC requires that action plans be developed for zones within which concen- trations of pollutants in ambient air exceed limit values plus any temporary margins of tolerance applicable in order to ensure compliance with limit values by the date or dates laid down; whereas insofar as they relate to particulate matter such action plans and other reduction strategies should aim to reduce concentrations of fine particles as part of the total reduction in concentrations of particulate matter; Whereas Directive 96/62/EC provides that the numerical values for limit values and alert thresh- olds are to be based on the findings of work carried out by international scientific groups active in the field; whereas the Commission is to take account of the most recent scientific-research data in the epidemiological ~ and  environmental  fields concerned and of the most recent advances in metrology for re-examining the elements on which limit values and alert thresholds are based; Whereas in order to facilitate the review of this Directive in 2003 the Commission and the Member States should consider encouraging research into the effects of the pollutants referred to herein, namely sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead;