Analysis
Politics
European Commission Report Highlights Ukraine’s Gains in Governance, Reform and Resilience
7 November 2024
What is in the air of democratic struggle against smog?
Every winter the air quality charts note dangerous exceedances of pollutants harmful to human health. The EU already started infringement procedures on air pollution against Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. While the residents of Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Bucharest won the legal cases on air quality breaches in the national courts.
Sitting on a bench at Normafa Hill in Budapest you can see an ever-growing thick impassable cloud above the city. It’s hard to believe, but most of the low-lying parts of the Hungarian capital drown in smog.
On a clear day, there’s no problem with observing the Országház (Parliament) or the Vár (Castle) as well as the glimmering waters of the Danube from above. But once the Summer ends, the view fades out to grey.