Harmonisation of noise regulations in the European Union

Volker Irmer

To date the Community's policy towards noise reduction in the environment has consisted of directives relating to permissible noise emission values. Based on the historical role the former European Economic Community played, legislation concerning environmental noise had the aim of avoiding barriers to trade and fragmentation of the internal market in Europe.

All European legislation in this field consists of directives "on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning...". The main concern has been economic, not environmental.

In its Green Paper on future noise policy, the European Commission identified five main areas of future activities concerning environmental noise within the European Union:
· actions concerning road traffic noise
· actions concerning railway noise
· actions concerning aircraft noise
· actions concerning noise from equipment used outdoors
· actions concerning environmental noise exposure assessment

Actions 1 - 4 will mainly consist of directives concerning noise emission limits, but the Commission in its Green Paper also takes into account other instruments such as infrastructure measures, economic instruments, restrictions on use etc.

Actions concerning environmental noise exposure mean a totally new way of dealing with the noise problem. In the past, noise exposure has always been considered an area in which the principle of subsidiarity applies.

On the other hand, the principle of shared responsibility limits subsidiarity to some extent. However, to date this shared responsibility, which requires all actors to be working towards a common goal, has not functioned effectively.
The Commission has therefore proposed to lay down, in a European directive, framework requirements concerning the assessment of noise exposure in the environment.

The types of measures that should be included in a directive proposal are as follows:
· establishment of a common EU noise exposure indicator
· provisions for the use of harmonised prediction methods in assessing environmental noise
· provisions for the exchange of comparable information on noise exposure
· assessment of environmental noise exposure by the competent authorities
· establishment of harmonised methods concerning noise mapping
· establishment of noise abatement programmes at local level.

The Commission published its Green Paper in November 1996 and has thus stimulated a Europe-wide discussion. The Commission has received about 500 comments, most of which are in support of the Commission's approach.

In preparation for its future work on noise exposure in the environment, during the Invitational Conference on the EU's Future Noise Policy in Copenhagen on 7 and 8 September 1998, the Commission set up five working groups aimed at giving advice to the Commission with regard to the following topics:
· indicators
· dose/effect-relationships
· computation and measurement methods
· noise maps
· noise abatement by local authorities.

Based on the work of these working groups the Commission will prepare framework legislation concerning noise exposure. As a first step the Commission is currently preparing a draft proposal for a directive on the assessment of noise exposure in the environment, to be presented by the end of 1998 year to the experts from the Member States.
This draft will contain regulations concerning an EU noise indicator, obligations to draw up noise maps for certain areas, to inform the public of noise exposure by which it is affected and to elaborate noise abatement plans.
In a second step a few years later, the Commission will harmonise methods of assessment and presentation of noise exposure throughout Europe. Whether also harmonisation of noise exposure targets will be possible, will be discussed with Member States.