EC rejects call to review F-gas regulation

EUROPE: The European Commission has refused a call to re-evaluate the F-gas regulation 2024/573 in the light of a slump in heat pump sales.

Italian MEP Isabella Tovaglieri questioned the ban on HFCs and HFOs when heat pump manufacturers were making cuts in production as a result of the downturn in sales.

The MEP argued that the entry into force of the bans was conditional on a re-evaluation of the technologies available on the market and their effectiveness on the basis of a report to be published by the Commission 2030. She asked whether, with a six-year wait for the report, the Commission should provide the industry with greater regulatory certainty to enable it to plan. Also, Tovaglieri questioned whether the phasing out of HFOs should be reconsidered in the light of the objectives of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive with regard to the decarbonisation of buildings.

In a written response, Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch commissioner responsible for climate, net zero and clean growth, recognised the drop in heat pump sales but insisted that it was not linked to the new F-gas regulation.

“All the included prohibitions are expected to be feasible from the date they apply and are providing legal certainty to manufacturers of such equipment,” Hoekstra said. “It is noted that the sales declined for various reasons, eg falling gas prices. However, the drop in sales is not linked to the new F-gas Regulation that only entered into force in March 2024. Consequently, the Commission does not see any reason to deviate from the legal requirement to review the F-gas Regulation by 2030.”