Question for written answer E-001237/2022 to the Commission Rule 138 Ernest Urtasun (Verts/ALE), Ska Keller (Verts/ALE) Subject: Annulment of Barcelona City Council’s Low-Emission Zone by-law by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia Yesterday, the judicial chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia annulled Barcelona City Council’s Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) by-law on the grounds that relevant reports were missing and that it imposed too many restrictions on the vehicles concerned. Implementing such measures, together with the strengthening of public transport, is just what other European cities such as London, Berlin, Paris or Oslo are doing. The city of Barcelona has pioneered such measures and has served as an example for the whole of Europe and the rest of the Country. In particular, it has been shown to reduce the number of annual deaths caused by pollution by 125 and the number of journeys in polluting vehicles by 609 000. Considering that the LEZ project has received funds from the Next Generation EU instrument and complies with the European Directive and the requirements of the European Court of Justice on pollution limits, we ask the following questions: 1. Does the Commission consider that the measures taken by the Member States to comply with EU air quality requirements, such as the LEZ in Barcelona, are positive steps? 2. In the Commission’s view, how can cities guarantee the right to health without measures such as the LEZ? 3. How does the Commission intend to defend projects financed under Next Generation EU? PE730.590v01-00