LATEST ON THE F-GAS REVIEW FOLLOWING STAKEHOLDER MEETING

The stakeholder’s meeting on 6th May, organised by Ricardo PLC, Öko-Recherche, Öko-Institut and the European Commission, was an important step in the Commission’s plan to propose changes to the F- gas rules by the end of 2021. Following the meeting EFCTC issued a press release welcoming options for proposed measures to improve the enforcement of the F-gas Regulation. The detailed options of the proposal aim to enforce the current regulation and to combat the illegal trade in HFCs while making the transition to more sustainable alternatives in maintaining the societal needs for refrigeration, air-conditioning, insulating foam in alignment with the Montreal Protocol.

The EFCTC press release about the F-gas Regulation Review noted that other policy options which are expected to generate considerable discussion by stakeholders include increasing the ambition of the regulation both before and post-2030, prohibiting F-gases in products and equipment where these gases are no longer needed as well as detailed measures to achieve alignment with the Montreal Protocol. Read the complete press release here. Following the workshop, in response to request by the consultants for further information EFCTC has provided additional comments and information, highlighting, in particular that the modelling work shown during the Stakeholder workshop was not sufficiently transparent to enable a comprehensive assessment of the conclusions presented.

The EPEE press release, following the stakeholder meeting, welcomed the Revision of the F-Gas Regulation and noted that “Fine-tuning the gold standard” is key. EPEE believes that the ongoing review must therefore be used to fine-tune the regime building on existing requirements in an intelligent, forward looking way, without falling in the trap of dogmatic decisions. EPEE re-iterates its strong support for the HFC phase-down as the Regulation’s strongest and most successful instrument.

At a press briefing on the 19th May, AFCE Delegate General Bernard Philippe gave an update on the future F-gas following the stakeholder meeting organized by the European Commission on the 6th May. After expressing its position on this revision at the end of 2020,the association recalls, "that the F-Gas provisions should be extended, without speeding up, to all fluids, including HFOs and "non-fluorinated" ones. It states: "The current already very restrictive 'Phase Down' timetable gives industry and all stakeholders the right time to implement the safest, most energy-efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for each application." Read the complete article here.

The stakeholder meeting followed a public consultation, with the results summarised in an article “F-Gas consultation: Illegal imports pose the main problem.” Three major issues have been identified in the implementation of the European regulation on fluorinated gases: illegal imports, barriers in standards and safety codes, and the misuse of the quota system. Read the complete article here. See also an article in Cooling Post.