Nitrogen emissions from industry and transport must be slashed by 50% by 2035 compared to 2019 levels, according to the government’s latest environmental strategy. While emissions from both sectors have already dropped significantly in recent years, the Cabinet insists an “extra step” is required to hit the target, backing the push with a one-off funding package of €250 million.
Half of this quarter-of-a-billion-euro pot (€125 million) will fund initiatives to curb pollution from shipping, construction machinery, and road traffic, including incentives to accelerate the adoption of electric construction equipment. The remaining €125 million will be directed toward the industrial sector, using targeted tenders to drive down emissions at several dozen industrial plants located directly adjacent to protected nature reserves.
The Cabinet is relying heavily on existing frameworks to do the heavy lifting, pointing out that the European CO2 Emissions Trading System (ETS) naturally helps drive down nitrogen output alongside carbon. While the transport sector will focus on cutting nitrogen oxides, industrial targets will home in on ammonia—a compound that settles much closer to its source. These mandates are legally bound within a new emergency law alongside separate targets to cut agricultural nitrogen emissions by 42% to 46% by 2035. Ministers have warned that if the industry and transport sectors fail to meet these interim benchmarks, further regulatory measures will be introduced.
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