The European Commission welcomed the European Parliament's endorsement yesterday of the agreement reached between the EU institutions on the Commission's proposal to significant lyreduce emissions of fluorinated gases.

Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said: "Today marks the beginning of the end for fluorinated gases in Europe. Not only is this good for the climate, but also for the European industries that will invest in more innovative, cleaner alternatives. And I really hope that other big emitters who have announced action to tackle these dangerous greenhouse gases will now follow Europe's example and also pass domestic legislation. This will send a clear signal about their commitment to tackle climate change."

The European Parliament adopted a compromise agreement struck in December to phase-down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), or fluorinated gases (F-gases).

Members of the European Parliament voted 644 in favour, with 19 opposing and 16 abstentions.

The move was welcomed by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) as asignificant step forwards for the climate, despite concerns that the bans do not extend to enough sectors.

Clare Perry, Head of EIA’s Global Environment Campaign said “This is a hugely encouraging lead from Europe in the fight against climate change,” and “With the EU showing a progressive lead in this field, this decision should act as a catalyst for future international negotiations in pursuit of a global deal to address HFCs which, if achieved,could avoid emissions of up to 100 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent by 2050.”

The new F-Gas Regulation arose from there view of the 2006 version which did little to stem the growth of these dangerous chemicals. It will cap the amount of HFCs which can be placed on the European market, gradually reducing over time the amount to 21 per cent by 2030. Their use currently accounts for about two per cent of European emissions and this is growing rapidly.

Along side the cap and phase-down, the EU hasnow agreed to ban the use of HFCs in new equipment in a number of sectors, most notably in commercial refrigeration by 2022.