EU’s new rules on fluorinated gases (F-gases) (Regulation (EU) 2024/573) were endorsed by the European Parliament and the European Council and were published in the Official Journal of the Union on February 20, 2024. The Regulation shall enter into force on March 11, 2024 and the existing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 will be repealed.
The strengthened rules on F-gases represent an essential piece of EU Green Deal package with the ambition of making Europe the first climate-neutral and zero pollution continent by 2050.
Compared with the existing F-gases regulation, the new Regulation will:
phase out the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) placed on the market by 2050
update the list of products and equipment with placing on the market prohibitions (Annex IV)
claim a price for quota allocations
lower reporting requirement for emission data
ChemLinked has summarized the most relevant regulatory changes as below:
Quota allocation payment
The payment of EUR 3 will be claimed for each tonne of CO2 equivalent of quota to be allocated. Producers and importers may access the total amount due for their calculated maximum quota allocation for the following calendar year and the payment deadline via the F-gas Portal.
In case a payment has not been made by the set deadline, the corresponding quota will be redistributed free of charge to those who have paid the total amount. From January 1, 2028, the quota for which a payment has not been made by the set deadline shall be canceled.
The official has set strict conditions for receiving quota allocations. Only producers or importers that have experience in trading activities of chemicals or in servicing refrigeration, air-conditioning or fire protection equipment or heat pumps for 3 consecutive years prior to the quota allocation period, may be eligible for quota allocations. Evidence shall be submitted to the Commission upon request.
Reporting of emission data
In addition, the Regulation has further eased the reporting requirements for HFCs emission. Every producer, importer and exporter that produced, imported or exported HFCs or quantities exceeding one metric tonne or 100 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of other F-gases during the preceding calendar year shall report to the Commission by March 31, 2025 and every year thereafter.
By March 31, 2024 and every year thereafter, each producer or importer with allocated quota but has not placed any quantities of HFCs on the market during the preceding year shall submit a “nil-report” to the Commission.
Restrictions on products and equipment
The Regulation has introduced new products and equipment restricted for placing on the market under Annex IV. Details are shown below:
| Products and equipment | Date of prohibition | |
| Domestic refrigerators and freezers that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2026 | |
| Refrigerators and freezers for commercial use (self-contained equipment) that contain other fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more | January 1, 2025 | |
| Any self-contained refrigeration equipment, except chillers, that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2025 | |
| Refrigeration equipment (except chillers) that contains, or whose functioning relies upon: | fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 2500 or more, except equipment intended for application designed to cool products to temperatures below -50 °C | January 1, 2025 |
| fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2030 | |
| STATIONARY CHILLERS | ||
| Chillers that contain, or whose functioning relies upon: | fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 GWP or more for chillers up to and including a rated capacity of 12 kW, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2027 |
| fluorinated greenhouse gases for chillers up to and including a rated capacity of 12 kW, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2032 | |
| fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 750 for chillers above 12 kW, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2027 | |
| STATIONARY AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT AND STATIONARY HEAT PUMPS | ||
| Self-contained air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps, except chillers, that: | plug-in room air-conditioning equipment, monoblock air-conditioning equipment, other self-contained air-conditioning equipment and self-contained heat pumps, with a maximum rated capacity of up to and including 12 kW that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements. If safety requirements at the site of operation would not allow using fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of less than 150, the GWP limit is 750 | January 1, 2027 |
| plug-in room air-conditioning equipment, monoblock air-conditioning equipment, other self-contained air-conditioning equipment and self-contained heat pumps, with a maximum rated capacity of up to and including 12 kW that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, except if required to meet safety requirements. If safety requirements at the site of operation would not allow using alternatives to fluorinated greenhouse gases, the GWP limit is 750 | January 1, 2032 | |
| monoblock and other self-contained air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps, with a maximum rated capacity of more than 12 kW but not exceeding 50 kW that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements. If safety requirements at the site of operation would not allow using fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of less than 150, the GWP limit is 750 | January 1, 2027 | |
| other self-contained air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements. If safety requirements at the site of operation would not allow using fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of less than 150, the GWP limit is 750 | January 1, 2030 | |
| Split air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps: | Single split systems, containing less than 3 kg of fluorinated greenhouse gases listed in Annex I, that contain, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases listed in Annex I with GWP of 750 or more | January 1, 2025 |
| Split air-to-water systems of a rated capacity up to and including 12 kW containing, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2027 | |
| Split air-to-air systems of a rated capacity up to and including 12 kW containing, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2029 | |
| Split systems of a rated capacity up to and including 12 kW containing, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2035 | |
| Split systems of a rated capacity of more than 12 kW containing, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 750 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2029 | |
| Split systems of a rated capacity of more than 12 kW containing, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 150 or more, except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2033 | |
| OTHER PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT | ||
| Fire protection equipment that contain or rely on other fluorinated greenhouse gases listed in Annex I, except when required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation | January 1, 2025 | |
| Foams that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, except if required to meet safety requirements | January 1, 2033 | |
| Technical aerosols that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, except if required to meet safety requirements or when used for medical applications | January 1, 2030 | |
| Personal care products (e.g. mousse, creams, foams, liquids or sprays) that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases | January 1, 2025 | |
| Equipment used for cooling the skin that contain, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 150 or more except if used for medical applications | January 1, 2025 | |
The original text can be accessed here.
