Objectives:
The purpose of this article is to discuss the issue of air quality monitoring by means of Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs), and to present the changes in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries that have taken place in this respect.

Material and methods:
Statistical analysis, Ward’s method, and a review of research on air quality and its monitoring in terms of sustainable development are employed. The analysis was performed in order to identify groups of EU countries that are similar in terms of air quality and to identify the changes that have taken place in these countries, accounting for it.

Results:
It becomes important to monitor air quality, including greenhouse gas emissions in countries that are working towards sustainable development goals, and thus to analyse the changes taking place there. The analysis of air quality in the CEE countries for the period 2010–2020 has shown that these countries are gradually reducing emissions of air pollutants and increasingly using renewable energy sources. On the other hand, a study of the situation in the CEE countries when compared to the rest of the EU showed that in 2020, new EU Member States (eight countries) and Greece were among the countries where the problem of greenhouse gas emissions should be considered significant.

Conclusions:
The demands of climate and environmental protection are assessed through the prism of both economic and social considerations. In this context, the monitoring of air quality is at the centre of the EU's and Member States’ attention through Sustainable Development Indicators, measuring progress towards sustainable development goals. The proposed classification should facilitate the mapping of air quality variability in the EU, including the CEE countries, and its monitoring.