Call for EU-wide method to assess noise plans

Citation

(2009), "Call for EU-wide method to assess noise plans", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 20 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2009.08320eab.003

Call for EU-wide method to assess noise plans

Article Type: News From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 20, Issue 5

EU Member states must develop a harmonised method for assessing the effectiveness of national action plans for reducing noise pollution by 2012 or risk wasting money on ineffective noise-reduction measures, the European Union Road Federation (ERF) has warned. Without a common method their assessments will be based on faulty data and result in policies that are ineffective or not cost-effective, the trade association said in a position paper. Existing national methods for evaluating progress are flawed, ERF added.

The 2002 environmental noise directive required member states to create noise maps showing areas that are greatly affected by noise pollution from transport and industrial sources by December 2007. There is no obligation to reduce noise levels. It also required EU states to issue action plans for dealing with noise pollution by December 2008. But only 14 of the member states have so far submitted plans and two states have still not submitted their noise maps.