Sofia - the dirtiest air in Europe
The capital of Bulgaria has the highest air pollution in Europe. The values for fine dust are 6 times higher than recommended by the WHO. The reason for the dirty air is, among other things, old diesel from Western Europe. And the lack of an environmental zone!
Bulgaria has the oldest cars in the European Union. About 40% of the vehicles are older than 20 years. Since there are no environmental zones, they are allowed to drive freely. That is why more and more old cars that are no longer allowed to drive in Western Europe are sold to Bulgaria. They also end up in other countries like Poland and Romania. Rust buckets that are banned in the French and German environmental zones, for example, are thus given a new lease of life in Eastern Europe.
In Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, many old diesels arrive from France. The vehicles are popular. For one thing, the price of diesel is lower than petrol, and for another, they are easier to repair. Electric cars are not yet in demand. On the one hand because of the price, but also because of the lack of charging infrastructure.
The air in Sofia, the dirtiest city in Europe, is sometimes 6 times more polluted with fine dust than recommended by the World Health Organisation and still 3 times more polluted than the EU limits prescribe. It is estimated that about 14,000 Bulgarians die every year as a result of air pollution.
Already in 2017, the European Court of Justice had ruled against Bulgaria, saying the country was in breach of clean air regulations. In 2020, the EU decided to take Bulgaria to the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with its obligations under the 2017 ruling. Financial sanctions have now been imposed on Bulgaria in March this year. Since the first judgement was handed down on 5 April 2017, the state has had to pay a fine of €3,156 every day until measures are taken and air quality improves. Nevertheless, a change is not in sight.
While critics of environmental zones are always debating whether they really add up to cleaner air, in Sofia's case it is clear. The lack of a low emission zone makes it possible to trade in old (diesel) vehicles. If the vehicles were banned in the city centre of Sofia as well as in other conurbations, the trade would be far less attractive. Thus, low emission zones not only ban certain older vehicles and thus directly improve air quality, they also have a steering effect on the trade of vehicles as well as the age of existing vehicle fleets.
Improving air quality does not seem to be a priority for the Bulgarian environmental authority. There are no plans to introduce an environmental zone. Although people urgently need it for their health.