European Parliament questions Commission on wind turbines noise pollution in the EU; Environmental Noise Directive revision to include wind-turbine infrasound

Parliamentary question | Noise pollution from wind turbines | O-000034/2026 | European Parliament

Noise pollution from wind turbines

Question for oral answer O-000034

2026 to the Commission Rule 142 Virginie Joron on behalf of the PfE Group

Recent scientific studies, notably one conducted by Uppsala University in Sweden in 2025 [1] , demonstrate that the infrasound produced by new-generation wind turbines propagates over much greater distances than current models predict.

The Commission itself acknowledges that ‘wind turbines generate infrasound or lower frequencies of sound than traffic-related sources which may not be fully addressed by standard noise metrics’ [2] .

Before wind farm projects are authorised, they undergo an environmental impact assessment [3] that includes a description of noise emissions. However, this impact assessment is incomplete, as it fails to account for infrasound.

The Commission has received recommendations from the European Court of Auditors [4] inviting it to assess the feasibility of introducing noise reduction targets and noise level limits into the Environmental Noise Directive [5] .

The lack of comprehensive EU regulations on noise emission thresholds for wind turbines is thus a source of nuisance and even health risks for thousands of EU citizens.

  1. What measures does the Commission intend to take to address this regulatory gap?

  2. Does the Commission intend to carry out an independent scientific assessment and to redefine the minimum safety distances between turbines and homes?

  3. Does the Commission intend to revise the Environmental Noise Directive in order to explicitly include noise emissions from wind turbines and to incorporate low-frequency sounds (infrasound) into the noise indicators?

  4. Does the Commission intend to amend the directive on noise caused by the industrial activities listed in Annex I to the Industrial Emissions Directive [6] ?

  5. Does the Commission envisage including electricity generation from wind turbines in Annex I of the Industrial Emissions Directive, in order to address the issue of noise emissions from these installations?

[1] Efficient finite difference modelling of infrasound propagation in realistic 3D domains: Validation with wind turbine measurements, Applied Acoustics, Volume 243, 2026, 111156, ISSN 0003-682X, https:

[3] In accordance with Directive 2011

EU, as amended by Directive 2014

EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 amending Directive 2011

EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ L 124, 25.4.2014).

EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (OJ L 189, 18.7.2002, p. 12).

1785 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 amending Directive 2010

EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) and Council Directive 1999

EC on the landfill of waste (OJ L, 2024

What measures does the Commission intend to take to address this regulatory gap?

Does the Commission intend to carry out an independent scientific assessment and to redefine the minimum safety distances between turbines and homes?

Does the Commission intend to revise the Environmental Noise Directive in order to explicitly include noise emissions from wind turbines and to incorporate low-frequency sounds (infrasound) into the noise indicators?

Does the Commission intend to amend the directive on noise caused by the industrial activities listed in Annex I to the Industrial Emissions Directive [6] ?

Does the Commission envisage including electricity generation from wind turbines in Annex I of the Industrial Emissions Directive, in order to address the issue of noise emissions from these installations?

Last updated: 4 September 2026

Legal notice - Privacy policy

We use analytics cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. You have the choice to refuse or accept them.

For any information on the other cookies and server logs we use, we invite you to read our data protection policy , our cookies policy and our cookies inventory.