By allowing Germany to apply stricter emissions limit for home heating appliances than the European eco-design standards, the EU is sending an important signal that public health and nature come first.

Roberta Arbinolo speaks to German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe about Germany’s stricter standards and why Europe needs more ambition.

Domestic heating is a major source of air pollution. From fossil fuels such as coal and gas to biomass, the materials we burn to warm up our homes are responsible for the largest share of particulate matter in the air we breathe.

The EU Eco-design directive addresses air pollution from household boilers and stoves by setting common standards to cut dangerous emissions. However, Germany has recently obtained the European Commission’s green light to keep enforcing its pre-existing, more ambitious national limits.

We asked our members Hannah von Blumröder and Patrick Huth, project managers on air quality at Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., what this means for air quality standards in Germany and beyond.

Why is this decision important?

The new Eco-design requirements for boilers and stoves set EU-wide minimum standards for both efficiency and emissions which are meant to replace pre-existing national legislation. This is a step forward in many member states with no effective emission limits for solid fuel appliances.

However, in Germany, the introduction of the Eco-design emission limits for solid fuel boilers would have meant a step back. The Commission’s decision to allow Germany to keep its pre-existing emission standards is an important sign, as it puts people’s health and the environment first.

Read the full article here.