The economic recession helped to significantly improve air quality, a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) has found.
Emissions were notably down in 2009 compared to the previous year when the financial crisis started to take effect.
Sulphur oxide pollution saw the biggest decline across the 27 EU member states, as output was down by 21 per cent.
This, the EEA has argued, is because the lack of manufacturing activity in countries such as Spain, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania meant less electricity was being produced at power plants.
Further evidence of this was highlighted, as NOx and particulate matter readings - both of which are prominent in electricity generation - were up to ten per cent lower than in 2008.
The uptake of smart meters across Europe in the next few years could also see electricity wastage reduced and analysts at Frost & Sullivan have predicted the use of the gadgets to increase by 26 per cent by 2017.
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