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Noise

Further to its 1996 Green Paper (COM(96)540), the European Commission developed a new framework for noise policy, based on shared responsibility between the EU, national and local level, and including measures to improve the accuracy and standardisation of data to help improve the coherency of different actions. This document lead to a comprehensive set of measures, including:

  1. The creation of a Noise Expert Network, whose mission is to assist the Commission in the development of its noise policy.
  2. The Directive on Environmental Noise aimed at requiring competent authorities in Member States to produce strategic noise maps on the basis of harmonised indicators, to inform the public about noise exposure and its effects, and to draw up action plans to address noise issues.
  3. The follow-up and development of existing EU legislation relating to sources of noise, such as motor vehicles, aircraft, railway rolling stock and the provision of financial support to different noise related studies and research projects.

News:

  • World Health Organisation/Europe developed guidelines for night noise to help countries recognize and address noise and health issues. Based on a six-year expert evaluation of scientific evidence, the guidelines present ground-breaking evidence of the damage exposure to night noise can have on people’s health. More information...

  • A website for the review of Directive 2002/49/EC has been established to provide information on the progress of the project.

  • The Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has performed the Final Report on the "Assessment of the equivalency of the national noise mapping methods against the interim methods" as specified in Annex II of the Directive 2002/49/EC. The document is available on the CIRCA website.

  • The European Commission is currently reviewing the aforementioned Directive. In the course of the review the European Commission (DG ENV and DG JRC) and the European Environment Agency organised a workshop on 17-18 March 2009 in Ispra, Italy.

The workshop focused on the following theme: "Noise mapping according to Directive 2002/49/EC; Target quality and input values requirements"

The event was addressing the EU MS' noise representatives, public authorities, private noise consultants and software developers who are invited to contribute to the development of requirements on the input values and their associated quality in view of the next round of European noise mapping.