Key data
| Regulation | Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2468, of 5 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Reference Directive | Directive (EU) 2024/2881 of the European Parliament and of the Council (air quality) |
| Publication | 6 November 2026 |
| Entry into force | Not specified in the regulation |
| Affected parties | Public road administrations and environmental authorities of EU Member States |
| Category | European Regulation |
| Official source | OJ:L_202602468 — EUR-Lex |
Public administrations responsible for road maintenance in winter now have a concrete tool to demonstrate that part of their PM10 levels are not industrial or traffic emissions, but a consequence of using sand and salt to ensure road safety. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2468, published on 6 November 2026, develops the technical details of the methodology that Member States must apply under the Directive (EU) 2024/2881 on air quality.
The impact is direct: areas with intensive use of road salts—especially in regions with harsh winters—may be apparently failing to comply with PM10 limit values for reasons that now have an official method to be deducted from the total count. Without that deduction, authorities are exposed to European enforcement procedures.
What does this regulation establish?
Implementing Decision 2026/2468 specifies the technical details of the methodology to determine the contributions of suspended particles (PM) from the resuspension of particles following the use of sand or salt on roads during winter. This methodology is framed within Directive 2024/2881, which regulates ambient air quality in the European Union.
The key elements established by the regulation are:
- Technical quantification methodology: defines how to measure and calculate the contribution of PM particles generated specifically by the resuspension of road sand and salt in winter conditions.
- Deduction from national inventories: Member States may deduct these emissions—considered "natural" or road maintenance—from their atmospheric pollution inventories.
- Relief in compliance with PM10 limits: correct application of the method allows demonstrating that certain PM10 peaks are not attributable to industrial or conventional traffic sources.
- Reporting obligation: data obtained through this methodology must be provided to the European Commission according to the formats and timeframes established in the Decision itself.
- Application by Member States: each Member State is responsible for implementing the methodology in its air quality plans and in the management of its emission inventories.
The regulation does not directly modify the current PM10 limit values, but rather provides the technical instrument for administrations to properly justify and document the contributions of winter road origin, separating them from other pollution sources.
Economic and operational impact
The main impact is not direct cost, but avoided risk. Administrations managing air quality plans in areas with intensive use of road salt and sand face two scenarios:
- Without applying the methodology: PM10 levels recorded in winter may exceed the limit values of Directive 2024/2881, exposing the Member State—and the local and regional authorities responsible—to European infringement procedures and the obligation to adopt costly corrective action plans.
- Applying the methodology: PM10 contributions attributable to the resuspension of sand and salt can be legally deducted from the inventory, easing compliance with limits and avoiding sanctions.
From an operational perspective, implementation of this methodology requires:
- Adapting air quality measurement and data recording systems to distinguish PM10 sources.
- Establishing or updating reporting protocols to the European Commission in the required formats.
- Coordinating between road administrations (which apply sand and salt) and environmental authorities (which manage inventories and air quality plans).
Who does it affect?
- Public road administrations: state, regional and local bodies responsible for road maintenance in winter (application of salt and sand).
- Environmental authorities of Member States: bodies responsible for developing and managing air quality plans and atmospheric emission inventories.
- Local and regional authorities in areas with severe winters: especially those with intensive use of road salts and that historically record PM10 peaks in winter months.
- National ministries and environmental agencies: responsible for reporting data to the European Commission and for compliance with Directive 2024/2881.
This regulation does not directly affect private companies, except those providing road maintenance services under public contract and must adapt their data recording systems to the new methodological requirements.
Practical example
A Spanish autonomous community with a network of mountain roads applies, during the months of December to March, large quantities of salt and sand to prevent accidents due to ice. Air quality measurement stations in that area systematically record exceedances of PM10 limit values during those months.
Without the methodology of Decision 2026/2468, those exceedances count entirely in the Member State's emission inventory, potentially triggering a European infringement procedure for non-compliance with Directive 2024/2881.
With the methodology now established, the environmental authority of that community can technically quantify what fraction of those PM10 particles comes from the resuspension of road sand and salt, deduct it from the inventory and report it to the Commission in the required format. The result: compliance with PM10 limits improves on paper—in a legitimate and documented manner—and the enforcement procedure is avoided.
What should administrations do now?
- Review current air quality plans to identify whether there are areas with PM10 exceedances attributable to the use of road sand or salt in winter. If so, this regulation may change the compliance diagnosis.
- Study the technical details of the methodology established in Decision 2026/2468 and assess whether current measurement systems allow its application or require adaptation.
- Coordinate between the road administration and the environmental authority to cross data on the application of salt and sand with air quality records in the same areas and periods.
- Adapt reporting systems to the formats and timeframes required by the Decision for communicating data to the European Commission.
- Consult with the competent Ministry (in Spain, the Ministry for Ecological Transition) on the transposition and practical application of this methodology within the national framework.
- Document and archive all data obtained through the methodology, as they will be the basis for justifying compliance with the European Commission in case of inspection or infringement procedure.
Frequently asked questions
What is particle resuspension from road sand and salt and why does it affect PM10?
When sand or salt is applied to roads to prevent ice in winter, those particles accumulate on the road surface and are subsequently lifted by the passage of vehicles, generating suspended particles (PM10). These particles count in air quality inventories and can cause exceedances of the limit values established in Directive (EU) 2024/2881, even though their origin is road maintenance and not conventional industrial or traffic sources.
How can an administration deduct PM10 emissions from sand and salt from its inventory?
By applying the technical methodology established in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2468, of 5 November 2026. This methodology defines the technical details to quantify the contribution of PM from the resuspension of road sand and salt, allowing it to be legally deducted from the Member State's atmospheric pollution inventory.
What happens if an administration does not apply this methodology and exceeds PM10 limits?
Without applying the methodology, PM10 exceedances attributable to road sand and salt count entirely in the national inventory. This can expose the Member State to European infringement procedures for non-compliance with Directive 2024/2881 on air quality, with the resulting obligation to adopt corrective action plans. Correct application of the method can avoid these sanctions in areas with intensive use of road salts.
What data must be reported to the European Commission and in what timeframes?
Decision 2026/2468 establishes that data obtained through the methodology must be provided to the European Commission according to the formats and timeframes established in the Decision itself. The regulation does not publicly specify the concrete timeframes in the available summary; to know the exact formats and reporting dates, it is necessary to consult the full text on EUR-Lex.
Does this regulation affect private road maintenance companies?
Directly, the regulation affects public road administrations and environmental authorities of Member States. Private companies providing road maintenance services under public contract may be indirectly affected if their contracts require the recording and reporting of data on the use of sand and salt, necessary to apply the methodology established in Decision 2026/2468.
Official source
Consult full regulation in official source
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/./legal-content/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L_202602468
