The German federal government must refine its national air quality program in certain areas, the Berlin-Brandenburg High Administrative Court ruled on Tuesday.
The measures mentioned so far are not sufficient in all respects to achieve the European targets for reducing emissions of air pollutants, the judges said.
With the ruling, the organization Environmental Action Germany (DUH) has once again won – at least partially – a lawsuit against the German government.
It was not until mid-May that the administrative court ruled that the federal government must refine its climate action programme.
In the present case, the focus was on the programme adopted in 2019 and updated in May 2024, which includes numerous measures to help Germany achieve the European targets for reducing air pollutant emissions.
These pollutants include ammonia, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
The verdict is not final: due to its fundamental importance, the judges have allowed an appeal to the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.
