In the run-up to green week 2013, European environment commissioner Janez Potočnik tells The Parliament Magazine there is an "enormous opportunity" presented by raising awareness in the area of the environment. In an exclusive interview, the Slovenian official explained why 2013 is the year of air and how the commission plans to improve air quality. "Many of the pollutants have been cut down and we are living in much better air quality conditions than we lived in years ago," he said. However, he stressed that ongoing problems with air quality made 2013 an "obvious choice" for the European year of air. The commissioner went on to highlight that "air quality problems are not prevalent all across the states, but in specific areas such as cities or industrial areas". "We have to address those problems from the point of view, not only of human health, but from environmental preservation," he said.