Joint Briefing Note: Supporting the ENVI Committee Report of the F-Gas Regulation

To date, the EU F-gas Regulation has achieved mitigation at a cost of just €6 per tonne CO2e .1 In April 2022, the European Commission (EC) issued a proposal to revise the F-Gas Regulation, including measures to speed up the HFC phase-down and introduce additional new equipment bans. [...] Article 17(6a) requires the EC to consult with relevant stakeholders annually to assess the impact of the phase-down on the EU’s heat pump market and empowers it to allow additional HFC quotas for heat pump usage. [...] The EC found that the current MDI exemption from the HFC phase-down has resulted in slow innovation in the sector and ongoing exemptions do not align it with international obligations under the Kigali Amendment.8 Fluorochemical producers have stoked fears that the anticipated entry to the market of low-GWP HFC-based MDIs from 2025 may not be fast enough to match the proposed HFC phase-down. [...] In February this year, five EU Member States proposed amendments to the REACH Regulation which include banning the use of PFAS in refrigeration and air-conditioning uses, except where national standards and codes prevent the use of alternatives.12 These measures have been facilitated by recent major changes to product standards in domestic air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration which have u. [...] The ENVI committee’s proposed amendments to Annex IV bans for switchgear ensures the transition to F- gas free alternatives thus avoiding the phase in of PFAS solutions that hold uncertainty in regard to future restriction, create outside-EU dependencies through patents and manufacturers, have higher climate impacts and pollute the environment.