The Member States’ ambassadors to the European Union (Coreper) will discuss, on Wednesday 5 April, the European Commission’s proposal on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014.
The revision presented on 5 April 2022 (see EUROPE 12926/3), as part of the European Green Deal, aims to ensure better implementation of the regulation to set a downward trend in both production and consumption of these gases, by clarifying and strengthening existing standards.
In the document sent to the ambassadors to the EU on 31 March for a draft political agreement, the Swedish Presidency outlined its proposals, which were based on the conclusions of the meeting of the Working Party on the Environment of 13 March 2023.
Annexes IV and VII, focal points of the discussions. In particular, there were differences on the overall level of ambition of the regulation, mainly on the dates of entry into force of the bans on certain products and equipment containing F-gases in Annex IV and on the phase-out schedule for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - which account for around 90% of F-gas emissions - in Annex VII.
In this sense, the Swedish Presidency has proposed to postpone the ban dates.
Postponements of ban dates. Some of these respond to the concerns of various delegations regarding the compatibility of the bans with the targets of the RePowerEU plan in the short term.
The changes set out by the Swedish Presidency also aim to give the industry more scope in the long term, concerning, for example, split air-conditioning equipment.
Also, to facilitate the adaptation to the new restrictions, the Swedish Presidency is responding to the requests of several delegations regarding maintenance and servicing. For refrigeration equipment, it proposes to postpone the ban from 2024 to 2025.
In addition, the text preserves the possibility issued by the European Commission of an exceptional postponement of the Annex IV bans, in cases where alternatives are not available or cannot be used for technical or safety reasons, or where this would entail disproportionate costs.
Extension of the schedule. Accordingly, deferrals are proposed, and to allow for a longer adaptation period, larger quotas are introduced for the first two periods of the phase-down schedule.
The Presidency proposes to amend the phase-down schedule to 42,874,410 tonnes of CO2 equivalent for the period 2024-2026 and to 20,677,379 tonnes of CO2 equivalent for the period 2027-2029.
A position opposed to that of the European Parliament. While these proposals diverge from those put forward by the Commission, they are truly at odds with the position of the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13153/10), adopted on 30 March 2023. The vast majority of MEPs supported the amendments tabled by rapporteur Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Dutch) to extend the sectors covered by the F-gas ban - in Annex IV. Similarly, on Annex VII, the MEPs’ desire to strengthen the reduction of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the EU, from 2039 onwards, with a view to eliminating their consumption and production by 2050, was confirmed.
As soon as the EU Council agrees on its position, discussions with the European Parliament on the final form of the legislation can start.
To read the EU Council Presidency’s proposals: https://aeur.eu/f/679 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)