The European Parliament adopted its position on the revision of the EU F-gases regulation by a large majority (426 votes in favour, 109 against and 52 abstentions) on Thursday 30 March.
The vote largely confirms the report championed by MEP Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Dutch) and adopted by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (ENVI) on 1 March (see EUROPE 13132/9).
Thus, fourteen of the sixteen amendments championed by the rapporteur and dealing with Annex IV of the European Commission’s proposal - presented in April 2022 (see EUROPE 12926/3) - were adopted. These changes are in line with a broadening of the sectors covered by the F-gas ban, taking into account the possibility of alternative solutions.
The text also sets out progressive stages for phasing out the use of fluorinated gases in areas where it is both technically and economically feasible to do without them. This includes air conditioning, refrigeration, heat pumps and some electrical appliances.
Similarly, the adoption of amendment 150 on Annex VII confirms MEPs’ commitment to strengthening the reduction of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - accounting for 90% of F-gas emissions - in the EU from 2039, with a view to eliminating their consumption and production by 2050. This measure goes beyond the Commission’s proposal, which announced a gradual reduction in production levels.
Finally, better monitoring of illegal trade in fluorinated gases, in line with the forthcoming Environmental Crime Directive, was also approved.
However, the European Parliament has distanced itself from the text led by Bas Eickhout by voting for amendments 152 and 160, tabled by Renew Europe and the EPP, relating to repairs and spare parts. In the first amendment, servicing with fluorinated greenhouse gases, which will be prohibited from 1 January 2030, will only apply to stationary refrigeration equipment.
Amendment 160 allows the placing on the market of parts of equipment necessary for the repair and maintenance of existing equipment, subject to conditions. During the debates on 29 March, Czech MEP Ondřej Knotek (Renew Europe) said: “We don’t want to force consumers to buy new equipment before the end of the life cycle of the products they are currently using”.
In addition, the vote on amendment 156, widely supported by the centre and the right of the Chamber, relaxes the ban on desflurane, planned from 1 January 2026, to allow its use in association with a capture system. According to the group of MEPs who defended it, this amendment is in the interest of “patient safety”.
Once the Council of the EU has agreed its position, MEPs can begin discussions on the final form of the legislation.
To read the adopted text: https://aeur.eu/f/657 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)