Environmental Policy and Air Quality Standards of the European Union

In the last 50 years, environmental protection has become an indispensable part of most European initiatives and the basis of economic sustainable development. The EU's environmental protection is based primarily on available scientific and technical information for the future planning activities, taking into account the ecological state of the region, potential benefits that will arise from the application of specific measures or and harms due to the lack of implementation of the measures. All this is viewed from the aspect of the costs of environmental protection activities and the degree of contribution to the economic and social development of the region and the Union as a whole. Seven so far completed specialized Environmental Action Programs helped to improve both EU legislation and practice in member countries in the direction of sustainable development and environmental protection. On the other hand, since the beginning of the seventies of the twentieth century, the European Union has been dealing with the problem of improving air quality by controlling the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, as well as improving the quality of fuel and integrating guidelines for respecting the environment in the transport and energy sectors. For the Republic of Serbia, this issue is extremely important as it should follow, among others, the EU standards in the area of environmental protection and sustainable development, in the viewpoint of a potential EU member state. However, the adoption and implementation of the acquis of the EU in the field of environmental protection will require significant investments in the future.