Bulgarian HVACR sector at a standstill

BULGARIA: The Bulgarian HVACR sector is in turmoil due to its government’s failure to adopt national regulations that would allow the implementation of the new European F-gas regulations.

This has already led to the Bulgarian Chamber of Mechanical Engineering (BBKM) notifying the country’s training centres to stop training on fluorinated gases.

The Bulgarian Association of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (BAOVK) is raising the alarm on the serious situation that is affecting hundreds of specialists and companies in the HVAC sector.

In September 2024, the European Parliament adopted the new F-gas regulation 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, at the same time publishing the implementing regulation 2024/2215, which sets out minimum requirements for the certification of engineers working with F-gases. To be properly implemented, each member state must adapt its own training and certification programmes, something which Bulgaria has so far failed to do.

A draft law amending and supplementing Bulgaria’s clean air act has been published by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW), but until its official adoption, all training remains blocked.

Vocational training centres, including the vocational training centre at the Bulgarian Academy of Vocational Education and Training have been  forced to suspend their activities. This means that installers and technicians cannot obtain or renew their mandatory certification, companies working with refrigerants risk being in violation of European legislation and new specialists cannot be trained and certified. This could lead to staff shortages and layoffs in the sector.

The BAOVK has urged for action, emphasising that the lack of regulatory clarity puts at risk not only training centres, but also the entire chain of supply, installation and service of air conditioning equipment.