New legislation to prevent 500 million tonnes of emissions from fluorinated gases

It will contribute to the EU's 2030 climate targets of at least 55% emission reductions, and help make Europe climate-neutral by 2050.

Used in everyday life appliances, for example, in refrigeration and air conditioning, F-gases and ODS are highly potent, human-made greenhouse gases with some of the worst global warming potential, often several thousand times stronger than carbon dioxide (CO2). The Regulation provides incentives to use climate-friendly alternatives, further stimulating the global market and helping other countries make the transition. The world market for equipment using F-gases is currently proliferating due to increasing temperatures and higher living standards. The new Regulations contribute towards limiting global temperature rise in line with the Paris Agreement, and set an example internationally, raising ambition considerably beyond the Kigali amendment of the Montreal Protocol.

”Thanks to the agreement found today to phase out the F-gases and ozone-depleting substances, we will prevent 32,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting emissions and save the equivalent of almost 500 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050. This is excellent news for Europe and for the world. With F-gases used for air conditioning and refrigeration and demand in this area projected to grow, it is essential that we make sure these technologies do not exacerbate global warming and that climate-friendly alternatives are incentivized”, says Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight.

At the EU level, F-gases currently account for 2.5 % of total GHG emissions. The reinforced F-gases Regulation will prevent the emission of around 300 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2050.

The agreement tightens the quota system for hydrofluorocarbons (HFC phase-down). The use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - the most commonly used F-gases representing around 90% of F-gas emissions - would be reduced by 95% by 2030 compared to 2015, going down to zero by 2050. From 2025, the HFC quota that the Commission allocates every year will be sold for €3 per tonne of CO2 equivalent.

The agreement also introduces new restrictions to make sure that F-gases are only used in new equipment where no suitable alternatives are available or that only the most climate-friendly F-gases are used. For example, new air-conditioning, heat pumps, and electrical equipment must use the most climate-friendly gases and some types of equipment must become F-gas-free, for instance, in medium-voltage switchgear, where sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), the most potent greenhouse gas in the world, has been traditionally used. The new restrictions will apply from 2025 to 2035 depending on the readiness to shift to climate-friendly solutions for each type of equipment.

In addition to promoting markets for climate-friendly equipment, an export ban will ensure that obsolete equipment using refrigerants with a high global warming potential that may not be sold in the EU can also not be exported to other countries in the world.

The F-gas proposal makes sure that the EU complies with all rules of the Montreal Protocol, and even goes beyond its ambition.

As the market for climate-friendly equipment expands, prices are expected to go down. Moreover, such equipment will generate lower energy costs, thus enabling people to save money over the lifetime of the equipment. 

The use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) in new equipment is already forbidden in the EU. By introducing these new measures targeting products in which ODS were legally used in the past, the EU will prevent the equivalent of around 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and 32,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting potential emissions by 2050.

Most additional emission savings will be achieved by requiring ODS to be recovered or destroyed from insulation foams when buildings are renovated or demolished. The use of ODS in the chemical industry will now also be more strictly regulated.

Industry and authorities will benefit from cost savings thanks to a modernized licensing system and the end of obsolete quota and registration requirements.

For both pieces of legislation, enforcement and implementation will be improved, making it easier for customs and surveillance authorities to control imports and exports, and to crack down on the illegal trade of gases and related equipment. The agreement will also make monitoring more comprehensive, covering a broader range of substances and activities, and improving the procedures for reporting and verifying data.

This provisional agreement now requires formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council. Once this process is completed, both Regulations will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force.

The Montreal Protocol of the Vienna Convention on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted in 1987 and established a global phase-out schedule for the production and consumption of nearly 100 ozone-depleting substances, which damage the ozone layer that protects the Earth against dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The EU and its Member States are Parties to the Protocol and have phased out the different groups of ODS according to schedule.

In 2016, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol also decided to regulate an additional group of F-gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), even though they are not ozone-depleting. The so-called Kigali Amendment responded to concerns about a steeply growing use of HFCs and their resulting climate impact. Both types of substances have, or used to have, practical applications in everyday life, for example in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation, fire protection, power lines, and as aerosol propellants.

The EU has already put effective legislation in place. The current ODS Regulation EC No 1005/2009 generally prohibits the production, trade, and use of ODS while exempting a few specified uses. Many ODS were phased out in the EU years ahead of the global schedule agreed under the Montreal Protocol. The current F-gases Regulation EU No 517/2014 sought to reduce emissions from fluorinated greenhouse gases. By taking the lead in this policy area, the EU facilitated the adoption of the Kigali amendment in 2016. Many of the F-gases typically replaced ODS when the latter were prohibited.