Environmental quality of life

Production and income growth are not necessarily accompanied by a rise in well-being. Indicators for the environmental quality of life involve the direct impact of air, water and soil emissions on the quality of life.

Results for these indicators show a rather mixed picture of green growth. Only two out of six indicators show a clear improvement in quality. Air quality is improving in general. In absolute terms, the urban population is less exposed to particulate matter (PM10). However, not all measurement locations comply with European exposure standards. Groundwater quality in agricultural sandy areas measured by concentrations of nitrate has improved as well. Only a few bodies of water meet the quality standards of the European Water Framework Directive. In general, the ecological quality of water has improved somewhat, but the chemical quality has deteriorated. However, this decline is partly due to changes in the monitoring system.