European Union (EU) countries reached a political agreement on Thursday to strengthen rules to curb industrial pollution.

"Today's agreement brings us one step closer to substantial emission reductions from industrial plants, which will decrease the exposure of European citizens to harmful pollutants and significantly improve the health of the environment," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said.

The political deal, reached by EU environment ministers in Luxembourg, will pave way for a new piece of EU legislation on industrial pollution, which overhauls the framework for controlling pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust from thousands of industrial installations across Europe, combining and strengthening seven earlier pieces of legislation.

The European Commission, which authored the original proposal, said the draft law will reduce competition distortions between companies and lessen the administrative burden faced by business under the existing regime.

It will also tighten minimum emission limits in certain industrial sectors, introduces standards for environmental inspections, renders the review of permits more effective and ensure the effective implementation of best available techniques.

Existing factories and plants will have to comply with the new limits, which have not been announced by the EU, by 2016, with new buildings will have to do it by 2012. However, EU countries have the option to phase in the rules up until the end of 2020.

By revising the minimum emission limits that apply to large combustion plants and bringing them in line with best available techniques, the new EU rule is expected to reduce yearly health expenditure by 7 to 28 billion euros (9.8 to 39 billion U.S. dollars) and prevent 13,000 premature deaths a year.

"Industrial emissions in the EU are still very high. It is absolutely vital that these emissions be reduced, especially by those industrial plants that pollute the most," Dimas said.

The draft law will now go through a second reading at the European Parliament.

Source: Xinhua