Short-term action plan as a legal instrument in the protection of air quality

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse a short-term action plan as a legal measure of protecting air quality in Poland. The aforementioned instrument has been implemented into the Polish Environmental Law as a result of obligations imposed by directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. This work reviews its main principles and examines current legal regulations in Poland on the subject of short-term measures to be taken to reduce the risk or duration of exceedance of air quality limit values. It indicates the imperfections of this regulation causing problems with its interpretation and preventing short-term action plans from becoming effective instruments protecting air quality. It leads to the conclusion that at current stage the Polish Environmental Law fails to achieve the objectives stated in the aforesaid directive which can cause further deterioration of air quality.