Last week, in a series of moves related to air quality, the European Commission proposed measures to help member states combat air pollution. The Commission also referred France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to the EU Court of Justice for failure to respect limit values for nitrogen dioxide and for failing to take appropriate measures to keep exceedance periods as short as possible. In addition, it referred Hungary, Italy, and Romania to the Court of Justice over persistently high levels of particulate matter. European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said the member states being taken to court had been repeatedly warned to clean up pollution as soon as possible. The Commission also issued letters of formal notice to Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom on the grounds that they have disregarded EU vehicle type approval rules. For the full story, visit http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3450_en.htm. See also http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44155590.