19.7.2021

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/2

(Case C-635/18) (<span class="oj-super oj-note-tag">1</span>)

(Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations - Environment - Directive 2008/50/EC - Ambient air quality - Article 13(1) and Annex XI - Systematic and constant exceedance of the limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in certain zones and agglomerations of Germany - Article 23(1) - Annex XV - Exceedance period to be ‘as short as possible’ - Appropriate measures)

(2021/C 289/02)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicant: European Commission (represented by: C. Hermes, E. Manhaeve and A. C. Becker, acting as Agents)

Defendant: Federal Republic of Germany (represented initially by: T. Henze and S. Eisenberg, acting as Agents, and U. Karpenstein, F. Fellenberg and K. Dingemann, Rechtsanwälte, and subsequently by J. Möller and S. Eisenberg, acting as Agents, and U. Karpenstein, F. Fellenberg and K. Dingemann, Rechtsanwälte)

Intervener in support of the defendant: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented by: F. Shibli, acting as Agent)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.Declares that the Federal Republic of Germany,

—by having systematically and persistently exceeded, from 1 January 2010 up to and including 2016, first, the annual limit value for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in 26 zones and agglomerations situated in German territory, namely, zones DEZBXX0001A (agglomeration of Berlin), DEZCXX0007A (agglomeration of Stuttgart), DEZCXX0043S (district of Tübingen), DEZCXX0063S (district of Stuttgart (without agglomeration)), DEZCXX0004A (agglomeration of Freiburg), DEZCXX0041S (district of Karlsruhe (without agglomerations)), DEZCXX0006A (agglomeration of Mannheim/Heidelberg), DEZDXX0001A (agglomeration of Munich), DEZDXX0003A (agglomeration of Nuremberg/Fürth/Erlangen), DEZFXX0005S (Zone III Central and Northern Hesse), DEZFXX0001A (agglomeration I (Rhine-Main)), DEZFXX0002A (agglomeration II (Kassel)), DEZGLX0001A (agglomeration of Hamburg), DEZJXX0015A (Grevenbroich (Rhineland mining area)), DEZJXX0004A (Cologne), DEZJXX0009A (Düsseldorf), DEZJXX0006A (Essen), DEZJXX0017A (Duisburg, Oberhausen, Mülheim), DEZJXX0005A (Hagen), DEZJXX0008A (Dortmund), DEZJXX0002A (Wuppertal), DEZJXX0011A (Aachen), DEZJXX0016S (urban and rural areas in North Rhine-Westphalia), DEZKXX0006S (Mainz), DEZKXX0007S (Worms/Frankenthal/Ludwigshafen), DEZKXX0004S (Koblenz/Neuwied), and, secondly, the hourly limit value for NO2 in two of those zones, namely, agglomerations DEZCXX0007A (agglomeration of Stuttgart) and DEZFXX0001A (agglomeration I (Rhine-Main)), has failed to fulfil its obligations under the combined provisions of Article 13(1) and Annex XI to Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe,

—and by not having adopted, from 11 June 2010, appropriate measures to ensure compliance with the limit values for NO2 in all those zones, failed to fulfil its obligations under the combined provisions of Article 23(1), read alone and in conjunction with Section A of Annex XV to Directive 2008/50 and in particular the obligation laid down in the second subparagraph of Article 23(1) of that directive, to ensure that the period of exceedance of limit values is kept as short as possible;

2.Orders the Federal Republic of Germany to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Commission;

3.Orders the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to bear its own costs.

* Language of the case: German.

(1) OJ C 436, 3.12.2018.

ECLI:EU:C:2021:140