The recent release of the Clean Air Policy Package by the EU Commission on 18th of December 2013 has opened a relevant debate among concerned citizens, civil society organizations, NGO and policy makers concerned with improving air quality. An important statement from a group of european NGO committed to environmental protection has highlighted substantial critiques to the EU Air Quality policy but also proposed solutions and improvements, as the law-making process is opening from now onwards: “We encourage the Commission not to wait for another “Year of Air” to complete, or in some cases start, the necessary work to protect European citizens’ health and the environment against airpollution. We also call upon the European Parliament and Council to start work as soon as possible on the air package and to significantly raise the level of ambition of the Commission proposals to deliver clear and quicker benefits to our health, well-being and the environment”.

In its own evaluation of the Year of Air 2013 the European Environment Agency wrote: “Scientific understanding of air pollution is improving. More sensitive measurements are demonstrating that air pollution is more serious than previously thought, while at the same time, medical science is showing the extent of air pollution’s effects on people.”

Nevertheless the Air Implementation Pilot 2013 study took into consideration the gap between Air Quality legislation and its real implementation. The gaps between planning, modelling and realty are indeed the object of the SEFIRA effort to assess the socio-economic implications with the social behaviour related to air quality.

SEFIRA project in this 2014 will implement its pilot study and survey in several European cities in order do describe and follow up the Clean Air Policy Package implementation process and more in general to describe the main socio-economic implication of individual behaviour in this field.

Its main targets will be the cities and metropolitan areas of Milan (Italy), Ghent (Belgium), Warsaw (Poland), Malmö (Sweden). The SEFIRA teams  started working on the study of policy translation of European Directives into National and Local air quality plans and policies.

During the year 2014 SEFIRA will also promote the organization on National Stakeholder Meetings in the countries of its consortium partners in order to open up a space for debate between civil society, policy makers and air quality experts.