Within the framework of multiple international conventions, Germany like other states is committed to monitor the air quality in the atmospheric background. Therefore, atmospheric measurements are realized by the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt (UBA)) with its network of 7 remote measurement stations throughout the rural background of Germany. These stations are operated by personnel and contribute data on pollutant deposition and transboundary long-range transport to the following monitoring programs: Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), European Monitoring and Evaluation Program (EMEP), Helsinki convention (HELCOM), OSPAR Convention and as well as to the EU commission by the directives 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC.

In November 2024 Directive (EU) 2024/2881 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe has been published by the EU commission. This is connected to the European Union's objective towards zero pollution by 2050 facilitating prevention of premature deaths due to air pollution. The new air quality directive merges the 2008 and 2004 legislation and responds to the World Health Organization recommendations on lower guideline standards and to monitor additional air pollutants and will be effective by the end of 2026.

Some pollutants are measured continuously since the late 1960s, while other pollutants especially metals and semi-metals (e.g., Pb, Hg, Cd, Ni, As) are monitored since the early 1990s, first by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) later on by inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). With the general improvements in air quality enforced by stronger regulations most pollutant concentrations and depositions decreased over time and reached a low plateau in the atmospheric background. Nevertheless, the continuous improvement of measurement techniques and the observation of new potentially problematic pollutants is one major goals of the UBA air monitoring network. Persistent organic pollutants (POP) addressed by the Gothenburg protocol as well as fluorinated compounds (PFAS) or current used pesticides (CUP) and their detection and monitoring in the atmospheric background are of high interest. Therefore, the UBA air monitoring network presents itself open for collaborations and testing of new measurement techniques for environmental matrices at its facilities.