The attached text is the final compromise that was reached this Monday. This compromise text was approved yesterday by the representatives from the 28 EU member States.

Main points ofthe text are:

1. The use of F Gas will be capped in 2015

2. The phase down will start then and by 2030 the amount of F Gases used shall be 21% of todays’ levels

3.  The baseline to calculate the phase down onhas been set to the years 2009-2012

4. The use of F Gases in industrial refrigeration will be banned as of 2020

Important: this is intended for newly built cold stores. In other words: this means that as of 1 January 2020 an operator cannot choose FGas as the refrigerant for his NEW installation

5. The banning of HFCs as of 2020 will consequently mean that no maintenance with virgin fluids will be allowed as of that date.

6. The maintenance of EXISTING installations with recycled or reclaimed F Gases will be allowed until 2030

7.The allocation fee for F Gases per tonne CO2 for producers and importers when accessing their quota (=price on HFC quotas), as suggested by

the European Parliament, has been deleted.

8.The new rules will be applicable as of2015

The European Parliament is scheduled to vote the text in March 2014.

More analyses is still needed about the implications for ECSLA members, but it is already clear from a first view that for example the price and availability of recycled fluids and the cost of regenerating will most likely rise in the future.

The compromise agreement does overall reflect the general demands that ECSLA has been advocating during the revision of the existing Regulation. Especially: the possibility to maintain and service existing refrigeration installations with F-Gases, a different baseline for calculating the phase-down, no allocation fee and more time to adjust to the new rules

F-gas regulation final text Council 17 December 2013.doc

[ΠΗΓΗ: http://www.racplus.com,

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/, http://www.ecsla.be/]