Noise pollution due to excessive traffic

30.8.2017

Question for written answer E-005394-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Francis Zammit Dimech (PPE)

The impact of noise, including that originating from transport, on human health and well-being has been widely acknowledged. In its Environment Action Programme to 2020, ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’, the European Union committed to significantly reducing noise pollution in the Union and to moving closer, by 2020, to the levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the case of Malta, reports in the media have referred to excessive noise pollution resulting from traffic. Furthermore, the constant increase in the volume of traffic in Malta, which at times goes beyond rush hours and extends to late and early hours, may continue to aggravate the situation.

1. Is the Commission aware of this situation?

2. Have any recommendations been put forward to the Member States, including Malta, in order to rectify it, and have these been fulfilled?

3. Will the Commission take any further measures in this regard, including by taking into consideration the provisions of the Environmental Noise Directive?