Bucharest City Hall accelerates steps to adopt new Integrated Air Quality Plan

The Bucharest City Hall, through the Environment Directorate, organized on Wednesday an online working meeting with representatives of the European Commission dedicated to identifying the essential steps in the process of developing and adopting the new Integrated Air Quality Plan (IAP) for Bucharest.

The representatives of the municipality wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that Lucian Judele, public administrator of the Capital, also participated in the meeting, along with experts from the City Hall and representatives of European institutions, and the discussions focused on establishing the work calendar, collaborating with civil society and streamlining measures to reduce pollution, agerpres reports.

"PICA is not just a strategic document, but a concrete commitment for the health of Bucharest residents. We will work transparently, with all partners - European, institutional and local - to implement real and effective measures. It is time for Bucharest to make the transition to a breathable and sustainable city", declared Lucian Judele.

The new plan is to be submitted for approval by the General Council of Bucharest Municipality, by the end of August 2026, being an essential tool for improving air quality and complying with European environmental commitments.

The PICA development schedule provides for the following key stages: by November 23 - completion of the air quality study; by January 23, 2026 - official proposal of the new PICA and the maintenance plan; until July 23, 2026 - completion, approval and submission for approval.

In parallel, the municipality will organize meetings with environmental NGOs to integrate relevant local projects, with a direct impact on reducing pollution, the representatives of the Bucharest City Hall specified.

According to them, transitional measures already applied by the Bucharest City Hall include: investments in the modernization of the public transport fleet; the creation of single lanes for public transport; increasing the speed and predictability of surface transport; policies to reduce polluting car traffic; the development of the VELO Masterplan for the development of the bicycle path network; rehabilitation of the district heating system; modernization and expansion of the smart traffic light system; charging stations for electric vehicles; revision of the General Urban Plan; major infrastructure projects, such as the modernization and expansion of the tram network.