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An air quality improvement programme (AQIP) is a strategic planning tool that is developed for a zone and agglomeration in which the concentration of a pollutant exceeds the limit or target value for the protection of human health and vegetation. In a zone or agglomeration where the limit or target value is exceeded, the district office in the regional seat shall develop an AQIP with the aim of achieving and maintaining good air quality in the long term through the measures taken.

The renovation of family houses under the Obnov dom program continues. Parliament has approved legislative changes that will allow the redirection of 186 million euros from the Modernization Fund to the renovation of at least 16,000 family houses of households at risk of energy poverty.

Air quality is one of the key factors that affect our health and the quality of life in the region. In accordance with the obligations arising from the applicable legislation, the Žilina District Office, in cooperation with professional institutions, has developed the Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) for the Žilina Region zone. The public now has the opportunity to comment on the strategic document.

On April 28, 2026, a meeting with Czech educators was held at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica as part of an educational exchange stay to introduce the Populair project and its educational and outreach activities.

On the occasion of Earth Day, public attention naturally focuses on protecting nature. Alongside visible components of the environment such as water, soil, and forests, air often remains in the background. Yet it is the most significant environmental factor affecting human health.

On April 14, 2026, the first meeting of the Air and Health working group took place. Air quality is a significant environmental factor affecting public health, and it is therefore in the interest of responsible authorities to adopt measures to improve it and protect public health. The working group is an initiative of the LIFE IP – Air Quality Improvement (Populair) project, aiming to identify areas that go beyond the competencies of the environmental sector and to seek solutions to improve air quality in the interest of protecting the health of Slovakia’s population and meeting international commitments.

In Testing 9 of Slovak language and literature, which monitors the level of education of ninth-graders, a text about transportation and air appeared, which inadvertently pointed out another problem. Even we adults are not always clear on environmental topics.

The LIFE IP project – Improving Air Quality (Populair) participated in the international networking meeting of the LIFE programme aimed at improving air quality in Europe in early March. The event, entitled Achieving Clean Air for European Citizens through the Ambient Air Quality Directive, was organised by the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA) to bring together LIFE project partners, experts and representatives of the European Commission.

On February 19, 2026, the Trenčín District Office issued and published the Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) for the Trenčín Region zone. The document is intended to help reduce pollutant emissions and improve air quality, especially in areas threatened by poor air quality. The PZKO measures focus, for example, on local household heating, transport or public information, and are targeted at risk municipalities in the region.

The Slovak Environmental Agency, as part of the LIFE Populair project, invites teachers of the second level of primary schools and secondary school teachers to methodological days dedicated to the manual on methods of air quality assessment. The methodological days will take place in various regions of Slovakia from March to April.