The countdown to clean air for health

Air pollution is the top environmental threat to health in the European Union. The summer of 2026 not only brought record heat waves but also high air pollution levels, including from wildfires.

On days of pollution peaks it is essential to have facts-based, timely information on concentrations, health threats and precautionary measures, especially for patients and other vulnerable groups.

Air quality forecast and alert systems, and air quality indeces have been valuable tools for people across Europe.

The Ambient Air Quality Directive 2024/2881 (AAQD) includes new requirements for information to the public and to vulnerable groups, as a response to the latest science and people’s concerns.

Join this webinar on 12 November 2026, 12.30 – 14.00 CET, organised by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) and navigate with us through the different air and health information systems.

Simultaneous translation into Polish, German, Italian and Spanish is foreseen.

Key questions for the webinar include:

• What are the different air quality information systems across the EU?
• What is an air quality index and how can people best use it?
• What are the public information needs of vulnerable groups?
• What are the information requirements in the new EU clean air law, and what does this mean for cities and regions?
• What are the benefits of air quality forecasting in the age of climate emergency?

Speakers:

• Alberto Gonzalez Ortiz, Air Quality Expert at the European Environment Agency
• Barbara Hoffmann, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany
• Károly Illy, President of the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA)
• Georg Kneer, patient representative at German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB)
• Laurence Rouil, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service
• Mikhail Sofiev Research Professor at the Finnish Meteorological Institute
• Anne Stauffer, Deputy Director of the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)