The END gives a common approach intended to avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects of environmental noise.
In the first step the competent authorities in the European member states had to produce strategic noise maps for major roads, railways, airports and agglomerations.
In the third step local action plans should be developed to reduce noise.
The second phase started with lower, partly the halve numbers so that major roads are defined as roads with more than three million vehicles, major railways with more than 30,000 trains and agglomerations with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
The member states had to send information about these data to the Commission until 30 June 2010.