{"id":41613,"date":"2025-06-25T20:23:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T18:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/auto-mat.cz\/41613\/nizkoemisni-zony-v-evrope-se-rozsiruji-cesko-ma-novou-legislativu"},"modified":"2025-07-03T16:27:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T14:27:52","slug":"nizkoemisni-zony-v-evrope-se-rozsiruji-cesko-ma-novou-legislativu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/auto-mat.cz\/en\/41613\/nizkoemisni-zony-v-evrope-se-rozsiruji-cesko-ma-novou-legislativu","title":{"rendered":"Low-emission zones are expanding across Europe. Czech Republic has new legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/h4>\n

Low-emission zones are gradually becoming a common tool for achieving cleaner air and meeting European climate goals.<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Western Europe Is Ahead<\/h4>\n

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\u2014whether it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

While Western Europe is moving toward stricter versions of these zones and expanding them to entire metropolitan areas<\/a>, the eastern part of the continent is only beginning to gain experience with them. Still, key shifts are happening here too\u2014mainly under pressure from European directives and growing awareness of the health risks associated with vehicle pollution.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> meeting Euro 5 standards or lower from entering cities with 30,000 or more residents starting October 1, 2025.<\/p>\n

London has had an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) since 2019. According to a study<\/a> examining data for 12 months from September 2023, air quality improved at 99% of monitoring sites in London since 2019, with the city\u2019s air quality improving faster than the rest of England. The report states that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels\u2014a toxic gas that worsens asthma, impairs lung development, and increases lung cancer risk\u2014have dropped by 27% compared to what they would have been without the ULEZ.<\/p>\n

St\u0159edn\u00ed a v\u00fdchodn\u00ed Evropa \u2013 prvn\u00ed realizace<\/h4>\n

V regionu CEE (st\u0159edn\u00ed a v\u00fdchodn\u00ed Evropa) se situace tak\u00e9 prom\u011b\u0148uje. Prvn\u00ed NEZ pro osobn\u00ed dopravu byla zavedena v Sofii (2023), n\u00e1sledovala Var\u0161ava (2024) a Budape\u0161\u0165 zva\u017euje pilotn\u00ed z\u00f3nu. V mnoha m\u011bstech jsou NEZ pl\u00e1nov\u00e1ny v r\u00e1mci klimatick\u00fdch strategi\u00ed, \u010dasto podm\u00edn\u011bn\u00e9 soudn\u00edmi rozhodnut\u00edmi nebo evropsk\u00fdm pr\u00e1vem.<\/p>\n

Polsko nov\u011b umo\u017e\u0148uje m\u011bst\u016fm zav\u00e1d\u011bt tzv. \u201ez\u00f3nu \u010dist\u00e9 dopravy\u201c, co\u017e vyu\u017eila Var\u0161ava ke z\u0159\u00edzen\u00ed z\u00f3ny od \u010dervence 2024 s dlouh\u00fdm p\u0159echodn\u00fdm obdob\u00edm pro rezidenty. Slovensko zat\u00edm \u017e\u00e1dnou NEZ nezavedlo, ale Bratislava m\u00e1 p\u0159ipravenou z\u00f3nu pro p\u0159\u00edpad poru\u0161en\u00ed limit\u016f.<\/p>\n

Central and Eastern Europe \u2013 First Implementations<\/h4>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Poland now allows cities to establish so-called \u201cclean transport zones,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Czech Republic \u2013 A Simpler Law<\/h4>\n

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

Municipalities can now:<\/strong><\/p>\n