Low-emission zones are expanding across Europe. Czech Republic has new legislation

The number of cities with low-emission zones (LEZ) continues to grow. While in 2023 there were approximately 320 such cities in the EU, by 2025, according to current data from Transport & Environment their number overcomes 500.

Low-emission zones are gradually becoming a common tool for achieving cleaner air and meeting European climate goals.

How is Central and Eastern Europe keeping up with this trend? How has the situation in the Czech Republic changed since the adoption of new legislation in spring 2025? And can Czech cities take advantage of new opportunities to combine low-emission zones with entry tolls, similar to what Milan or Brussels are doing?

These and other questions are addressed in a new overview article as part of the Central European Active Mobility Lab (CEAML) project, which builds on previous analyses from 2023 and reflects the current state.

Western Europe Is Ahead

Low-emission zones (LEZ) have become firmly established in many cities as a long-term element of transport and environmental policy. There is convincing data confirming their benefits—whether it’s a decrease in concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide pollution or an overall improvement in air quality on city streets. Moreover, many cities demonstrate that LEZs are not just temporary emergency measures but a stable part of the path toward sustainable and fairer mobility.

While Western Europe is moving toward stricter versions of these zones and expanding them to entire metropolitan areas, the eastern part of the continent is only beginning to gain experience with them. Still, key shifts are happening here too—mainly under pressure from European directives and growing awareness of the health risks associated with vehicle pollution.

A major development took place in France, where since 2021 the implementation of LEZs has been mandatory in all cities with over 150,000 inhabitants. Paris is gradually tightening emission requirements and aims to become a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) as early as 2030. Brussels in Belgium and Milan in Italy combine zone restrictions with entry fees and strong support for public transport and active mobility. Four northern Italian regions will ban diesel vehicles meeting Euro 5 standards or lower from entering cities with 30,000 or more residents starting October 1, 2025.

London has had an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) since 2019. According to a study examining data for 12 months from September 2023, air quality improved at 99% of monitoring sites in London since 2019, with the city’s air quality improving faster than the rest of England. The report states that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels—a toxic gas that worsens asthma, impairs lung development, and increases lung cancer risk—have dropped by 27% compared to what they would have been without the ULEZ.

Střední a východní Evropa – první realizace

V regionu CEE (střední a východní Evropa) se situace také proměňuje. První NEZ pro osobní dopravu byla zavedena v Sofii (2023), následovala Varšava (2024) a Budapešť zvažuje pilotní zónu. V mnoha městech jsou NEZ plánovány v rámci klimatických strategií, často podmíněné soudními rozhodnutími nebo evropským právem.

Polsko nově umožňuje městům zavádět tzv. „zónu čisté dopravy“, což využila Varšava ke zřízení zóny od července 2024 s dlouhým přechodným obdobím pro rezidenty. Slovensko zatím žádnou NEZ nezavedlo, ale Bratislava má připravenou zónu pro případ porušení limitů.

Central and Eastern Europe – First Implementations

The situation in the CEE region (Central and Eastern Europe) is also evolving. The first LEZs for passenger vehicles were introduced in Sofia (2023), followed by Warsaw (2024), and Budapest is considering a pilot zone. In many cities, LEZs are planned within climate strategies, often driven by court rulings or European legislation.

Poland now allows cities to establish so-called “clean transport zones,” which Warsaw used to set up a zone starting July 2024 with a long transitional period for residents. Slovakia has not introduced any LEZ yet, but Bratislava has a prepared zone ready in case pollution limits are exceeded.

Czech Republic – A Simpler Law

After decades of inactivity, a significant shift comes with the new Act No. 42/2025 Coll., which amends the Air Protection Act and removes some key obstacles for establishing LEZs.

Municipalities can now:

• Set up LEZs even without a bypass route,
• Charge fees for entry based on emission categories,
• Grant exemptions and manage the system via a central LEZ registry maintained by the Ministry of the Environment,
• Use revenues to support public and active transport.
• At the same time, a system was introduced that can restrict or charge entry for vehicles based on EURO emission categories, similar to German environmental stickers but without physical labels—the identification will be digital using cameras linked to the vehicle registry.

The law finally provides a tool enabling cities to respond to long-standing air pollution problems.

Prague as a Possible Precedent

The wording of the law amendment suggests it was prepared with the needs of large cities like Prague in mind, which, especially around major traffic routes, faces problems with air pollution. Given the introduction of new European limits in 2030, a flexible system architecture is planned that will allow for tightening of rules in the future.

The low-emission zone (LEZ) in Prague could take the form of a digital zone without stickers, allowing exemptions and integration with a camera system. The system in Brussels or Milan serves as an inspiration.

Impact on Health and the Environment

Meta-analyses and pilot measurements taken before and after the implementation of low-emission zones (typically over several years) show significant reductions in monitored pollutants:

• Decrease in PM10 levels by 3–9%,
• Reduction in the number of days exceeding PM10 limits by up to 20%,
• Decline in NO₂ concentrations typically by 10–30% over several years,
• Significant reduction in the most toxic components (diesel soot, benzo[a]pyrene, etc.).

It is estimated that the health impacts of air pollution on the European population cause economic damages between 427 and 790 billion euros annually, which is roughly five times the budget of the Czech Republic. According to health experts’ estimates, polluted air costs the average inhabitant of a European city 1,276 euros per year, with disproportionately higher impacts on poorer regions and residents.

The combination of low-emission zones, support for public transport and active mobility, along with accompanying measures (parking policies, shared transport), proves to be key for long-term effectiveness. Concerns about pollution shifting to city outskirts beyond zone boundaries have not been confirmed. This is because LEZs encourage an overall renewal of the vehicle fleet. Cleaner vehicles then produce fewer emissions even outside the zone. Studies even mention a so-called “spillover effect”: benefits of cleaner air “overflow” beyond city limits up to several kilometers away. For example, in Belgium, improvements were observed within a 5 km radius beyond the LEZ boundaries in Antwerp and Brussels.

Cautious Public Support

According to a survey by NMS (April 2025), 76% of respondents are aware of the term LEZ (Low Emission Zones). More than 60% of people in the Czech Republic support their implementation where needed to improve air quality. Support is stronger among younger generations, university graduates, and residents of larger cities. People demand exemptions for socially disadvantaged groups, people with disabilities, and certain professions.

While two years ago the legislation was ambiguous, today we have a modern legal framework and real data on the impact of specific implementations abroad. The challenge remains to explain the benefits of LEZ to the public, ensure fair application, and connect zone regulations with broader urban transport policies. That is why the CEAML project focuses on addressing this very issue.

This text was created within the framework of the Central European Active Mobility Lab (CEAML) project supported by the European Climate Foundation.