Environmental groups that had been hoping to see EU carbon emission reduction targets reassessed in order to boost air quality have spoken of their disappointment.
MEPs voted on whether to increase the current goal of stifling pollution by 20 per cent by 2020 to 30 per cent.
The ballot resulted in a narrow victory for those who want the targets to remain the same, which has upset a number of people.
Catherine Pearce of the European Environmental Bureau said that short-term political interests have succeeded over long-term public health.
"Sadly there are some laggards in parliament who still fail to recognise the clear benefits of moving to 30 per cent and the ease of doing so," she remarked.
The decision was made despite environmental analysis conducted by the European Commission suggesting that the target would have to be increased in order to meet proposed 2050 emission reduction levels of 80 per cent.
Recently, a study by the European Environment Agency indicated the continent was heading in the right direction, as CO2 output from new cars fell by 3.7 per cent in 2010.
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