Legislative Decree No. 351 implementing Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality assessment and management.

With a view to implementing Directive 96/62/EC in matter of ambient air quality management and assessment, the present Legislative Decree lays down principles to be applied in order to: (a) establish the objectives to be attained to prevent, avoid and reduce harmful effects to human beings and to the environment; (b) assess the ambient air quality; (c) obtain adequate information as regards ambient air quality and make it available to the public; (d) maintain ambient air quality where it is good and improve it in other cases. The Central Government, the Regions, the Provinces, the Communes and other local entities shall be responsible for the implementation of these provisions. Limit values are to be adopted by Decree of the Ministry of the Environment as prescribed by article 4. The Regions shall assess the ambient air quality by following the procedure described under article 6. Adequate information on ambient air quality as regards the pollutants referred to in article 4 shall be made available to the public. The Regions shall transmit to the Ministry of the Environment and to the Ministry of Health the information specified in article 12.