Copernicus report finds Europe’s air quality improving despite persistent pollution episodes
BONN, Germany, 29 June 2026: The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said it published its latest Assessment Report on European Air Quality 2025, finding that most air quality indicators across Europe continued to improve as emissions of regulated air pollutants declined. However, CAMS said that some parts of Europe still experienced local air pollution situations, and that large-scale air pollution episodes, driven by a combination of emissions and seasonal weather conditions, persisted.
CAMS said the report draws on European air quality re-analysis data that assimilates observations from monitoring stations across Europe into the CAMS modelling systems. CAMS added that the report details air quality trends and information on selected major pollution events for the main pollutants regulated by the Ambient Air Quality Directive, ozone, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and coarse and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).
Laurence Rouil, Director, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said: “Our report is designed to provide national authorities, policymakers and air quality experts with insightful information to better understand both long-term trends and the origins of pollution episodes enabling more effective evidence-based decision-making. Europe continues to make steady progress in improving air quality, thanks to sustained efforts to reduce emissions from transport, industry, residential heating, and other key sectors. At the same time, our report highlights and explains situations when the combination of emissions and meteorological conditions can still trigger significant large-scale episodes with exceedances of the limit values set for health and environment protection.”
CAMS said emissions of major air pollutants have steadily decreased across Europe, with the overall air quality outlook continuing to improve. CAMS said that since 2015, emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have fallen by approximately 3-5 per cent per year across the European Union, with the most significant reductions achieved in industry and road transport. CAMS added that industrial emissions of SOx have fallen by 59%, while NOx emissions from industry have declined by 39%, and that road transport emissions have also fallen substantially, with reductions of 40% for NOx and 34% for PM2.5.
CAMS said these reductions reflect the effect of European emission reduction policies, and that despite continued economic activity, emissions are increasingly becoming decoupled from industrial production and transport demand. CAMS added that this progress is further supported by emission reduction commitments under the EU National Emission Reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive, which establishes legally binding national limits for each EU member state.
CAMS said that despite progress in cutting overall emissions, environmental pressures are becoming an increasingly important factor in determining air quality outcomes across Europe. CAMS said that according to the European State of the Climate 2025 report, 2025 was the third warmest year on record in Europe, characterised by pronounced regional differences. CAMS added that high temperatures, intense sunlight and stagnant atmospheric conditions created conditions for ozone formation during summer, while prolonged dry conditions contributed to wildfire activity in parts of southern Europe, and that colder-than-average conditions contributed to elevated particulate matter concentrations during winter, largely from heating systems.
CAMS said the report includes an analysis of four major pollution episodes that occurred in 2025. CAMS said that in February 2025, colder-than-average conditions in parts of Europe contributed to elevated PM2.5 concentrations and exceedances of air quality health thresholds, with residential heating emissions playing a dominant role, particularly in eastern Europe, while emissions from transport, agriculture and industry also contributed.
CAMS said elevated concentrations of ozone were recorded during heatwave periods in June and August 2025, with the most significant episode occurring between August 8 and 17, affecting western, central and southern Europe. CAMS added that high temperatures, intense sunlight and stagnant atmospheric conditions created conditions for ozone formation across large parts of the continent.
CAMS said record wildfires that burned between August 11 and 19 heavily impacted Portugal and Spain, leading to exceedances of daily PM2.5 limit values across parts of the Iberian Peninsula. CAMS added that for the first time, it was able to quantify the contribution of wildfire emissions to particulate matter concentrations using source attribution tools, providing insights into how wildfire smoke affects air quality and public exposure to pollution.
Paul Hamer, Senior Scientist, NILU, main author of the report, said: “The wildfires in August 2025 showed how closely these hazardous events are connected to air quality. In addition to elevating the levels of particulate matter at the surface level, the fire plumes also contributed to the increase in surface ozone levels in northern Portugal and Spain, because the release of significant amount of ozone precursors which react in sunlight as the smoke travels.”
CAMS said that long-range transport of Saharan dust frequently affected Europe during 2025, causing elevated PM10 concentrations and exceedances of air quality thresholds across southern, western and central Europe. CAMS added that analysis of a major dust intrusion during March showed that natural mineral dust transported from North Africa contributed to elevated PM10 concentrations in affected regions, underlining the importance of understanding both natural and anthropogenic sources when assessing air.