On October 5th, parties reached a provisional agreement in the Trilogue to conclude negotiations on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases). “It is a very important result that shows that the Council and the Parliament are listening to industry and citizens to achieve the common goal of decarbonisation without jeopardising social and industrial efforts,” commented Marco Masini, President of ASERCOM.
There are still uncertainties as the exact text will be announced later: “We were a bit worried, mainly because of the unclear definitions and timing of the phase-out and ban of certain cooling applications. The later positioning of the bans and some openings for exemptions give our members enough time to develop the missing pieces for a safe and sustainable implementation of the European policy by OEMs,” says Masini.
ASERCOM will continue to support the market with all necessary technical and scientific feedback for a safe transition.
Background:
The provisional agreement of October 5, 2023 introduces a full ban on small (<12kW) monobloc heat pumps and air conditioning that contain F-gases with a GWP of at least 150 starting in 2027, and a complete phase-out in 2032. With regard to split air conditioning and heat pumps containing F-gases, the co-legislators agreed on a full ban starting in 2035, with earlier deadlines for certain types of split systems with higher global warming potential. Exemptions are provided for in cases where this equipment is needed to meet safety requirements. The provisional agreement also includes the possibility to release a limited number of additional quotas for heat pumps if the proposed bans were to endanger the attainment of the heat pump deployment target required under REPowerEU.
