Spain's Reus and Santa Cruz push low‑emission zones

In Reus, the low‑emission zone (ZBE) has cut access by the most polluting vehicles by roughly half after almost a year of operation. The share of vehicles without an environmental label dropped from 23.13% to 13.10%, while cars with ECO or Zero labels rose from 10.25% to 13.46%. Only 0.02% of daily entries are sanctionable and more than 1,200 authorisations have been issued for residents and special cases.

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz’s city council approved an ordinance to create its own ZBE, slated to start in 2029. The measure, required by national law for cities over 50,000 people, faced partisan debate but incorporated 15 of 30 stakeholder proposals. Officials warned that failure to adopt the zone could jeopardise European Union funding, and the ordinance aims to address traffic‑related noise while preserving rights such as free movement for tourists and workers.