The European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that a person who becomes ill as a result of air pollution is not entitled to financial compensation from the government.
The court found that the European directives on air quality do not grant persons any rights that could result in compensation for damages.
However, it stated that individuals must have confidence that national authorities are taking steps to maintain clean air.
The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a Parisian seeking 21 million euros ($22.3 million) in damages from the French government because rising air pollution in the Paris metropolitan area has harmed his health.
According to him, the state must be held accountable because it failed to ensure that EU-wide limit values were met.
In a recent opinion, the ECJ’s advocate general appeared to support this point of view.
The ECJ has already chastised France and Germany for exceeding the permitted values for the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide.
However, the ECJ disagreed with its expert and refused a claim for damages.
The court stated that the EU states are required by the air quality laws to provide clean air; nonetheless, these duties serve the overarching goal of preserving human health and the environment as a whole.
They do not confer rights on individual individuals, according to the court, who added that the state is not required to pay its citizens.
The ECJ specifically did not rule out the possibility of governments being held accountable under national regulations.
