Criteria for EUROAIRNET - The EEA Air Quality Monitoring and Information Network

The European Topic Centre on Air Quality (ETC-AQ), under contract to the European Environment Agency (EEA) is required as part of its work programme to develop and maintain a European Air Quality Monitoring Network and a European Air Quality Information System in close collaboration with the European countries. The purpose is to obtain adequate background information for making air quality assessments on the European scale, in order for EEA to provide a firm basis for decisions by the Commission and by member countries on environmental policies regarding air quality.

This report describes the objectives of EUROAIRNET, and the criteria behind the design and establishment of the network. The place of EUROAIRNET relative to two other EU-wide networks or reporting processes are described; namely the network and reporting to show compliance with the EU air quality directives (the Regulatory network) and the reporting under the Exchange of Information (EoI) Decision.