The inter-institutional negotiations (trilogue) on the revision of Regulation EC 1005/2009 ‘Ozone Depleting Substances’ (ODS) were launched on Tuesday 25 April by the European Parliament, the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission.
The aim of the revision is to increase the effectiveness of the Regulation in protecting the environment, public health and the climate by reducing ODS emissions in certain remaining permitted applications not covered by the Montreal Protocol, by modernising the licensing system and by combating illegal trade.
This first ‘trilogue’ was a routine formality: it allowed each of the institutions to present its position without going into the heart of the negotiations, as the European Parliaments Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) was informed on Wednesday.
The EU Council decided on its general approach on 5 April. This is dominated by the desire not to increase the bureaucratic burden on companies, to guarantee the validity of certain critical uses and to align the sanctions provided for with those of the future Industrial Emissions Directive (see EUROPE 13157/8).
In its position adopted on 30 March, the Parliament, led by Jessica Polfjärd (EPP, Swedish), is more ambitious, in particular with regard to the replacement of ODS used as raw materials by alternative products through a continuous review process that it claims from the European Commission (see EUROPE 13157/8).
The three institutions decided that this dossier would continue to be dealt with together with the F-gases regulation (see other article in this newsletter), as a legislative package. The two texts were proposed together in April 2022 (see EUROPE 12926/3).
Negotiators agreed to make progress at the technical level in meetings starting next week. No date has yet been set for the second trilogue. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)