File:Air quality in Europe in October 2021 (Copernicus).jpg

English: On 15 November 2021, the European Environment Agency published the 2021 edition of “Air Quality in Europe”, a high-level report which includes an assessment of the status of the air we breathe in Europe, as well as an analysis of the effects of changes in air quality. According to the EEA's report, the quality of the air in Europe has improved significantly over the last decade. Nevertheless, 364,200 air quality-related deaths occurred in the EU (27 Member States) in 2019, of which, 40,400 premature deaths can be attributed to chronic nitrogen dioxide exposure. Whilst emissions and the concentration of pollutants such as NOx continued to decrease over the last decade, levels remain high. This situation is confirmed by the data acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite on a daily basis. This visualisation shows the average value of Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) detected between 1 October and 1 November 2021. High concentrations of this dangerous pollutant can be observed in the Po valley (Northern Italy) and central Europe. Air pollution is being taken very seriously by European institutions. The European Commission, together with Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, organised the third EU Clean Air Forum in Madrid. This event reflected on the development and implementation of effective European, national, and local air quality policies and projects, as well as raised awareness of the ongoing review of EU air quality standards.