The European Commission gives importers of equipment filled with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) an additional option for ensuring compliance with the F-gas Regulation. Quota authorisations are needed for imported HFC refrigeration, air conditioning and heatpump equipment from 1 January 2017. Now importers can get quota authorisations not only directly from quota holders but also via the manufacturers of the equipment (known as the pooling option). For authorisations to be valid they must be entered in the HFC Registry.
This obligation on importers to have quota authorisations is part of the EU phase-down measure put in place by the Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 on fluorinated gases (F-gases), which aims to reduce emissions of these gases by two-thirds compared to today's levels by 2030. The phase-down regulates a gradual reduction in the amount of HFCs that can be put on the market in the EU. HFCs, the most common F-gases, are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2). The HFC Registry is set up to implement the HFC phase-down and all importers of HFC filled equipment must be registered there.
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Details
- Publication date
- 11 July 2016
- Author
- Directorate-General for Climate Action