Italy sets fines up to €100k for F-gas violations
3rd January 2020
ITALY: The Italian government has announced fines of up to €100,000 for breaches of the European F-gas regulations (517/2014).
The European Commission initiated infringement procedures in July against both Italy and Romania for failing to notify national measures on penalties for breaches of the F-gas regulations.
The F-gas penalties should have been in place by 1 January 2017, but Italy had been behind many other European countries, only implementing the F-gas regulations into Italian law at the beginning of 2019.
The Italian government has now set potential fines at €5,000 to €100,000 for violations including intentional release of HFC refrigerants, system repairs and leak checks and controls.
Member states can set their own penalties, the European Commission merely insisting that “the penalties must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive”. As a result, penalties vary widely. In the UK, for instance, infringements can result in fines from £1,000 to £200,000 (€1,120 to €225,000), in Germany its €100 to €50,000 and Poland has set fines between PLN600 and PLN30,000 (€140 to €7,000).
Related stories:
Italy and Romania face F-gas infringement procedures – 25 July 2019
EUROPE: The European Commission has sent letters of formal notice to Italy and Romania for failing to notify national measures on penalties for infringements of the F-gas regulations. Read more…
