This page is intended as a guide to stakeholders on Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases. On this page you will find a summary of the latest developments, the final text of the Regulation and MAC Directive, initial Government guidance and minutes of the industry stakeholders meetings. Contact details are provided at the bottom of the page.

Latest Developments

This section summarises key recent developments. More details and links to documents are provided in the sections below.

A copy of the Consultants final report on minimum qualification requirements for personnel involved in the containment and recovery of f-gases and ozone depleting substances can be found in section 5. We would appreciate your comments by 30 November on the recommendations contained in this report.

Also in section 5 is an Industry questionnaire relating to the consultation on labelling of equipment containing f-gases. The deadline for completed questionnaires is 8 December 2006.

The main provisions of the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulation will apply from 4 July 2007. Defra together with the DTI, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly and other stakeholders, have produced Initial Guidance on the contents of the f-gas Regulation. The guidance document is to assist in your consideration of any impact the Regulation will have on your operations or equipment. An accompanying supplementary document on Frequently Asked Questions has also been published. You can download a copy of both the guidance and the FAQ documents in section 4.

DTI, working with other Whitehall departments and the devolved administrations, continues to seek the views of UK industry on implementing the Regulation and would appreciate your comments. If you wish to comment, please e-mail your views to Alan Morgan (alan.morgan@dti.gsi.gov.uk) at the Sustainable Development Unit.

Respondents in Scotland are requested to copy comments to the Scottish Executive’s Climate Change Team climate.change@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Summary of the Regulation and final text

The f-gas Regulation and Directive were published on 14 June 2006 in the Official Journal of the European Union and entered into force is 4 July 2006. It will apply with effect from 4 July 2007.

The objectives of the Regulation

The principal objective is to contain, prevent and thereby reduce emissions of f-gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. This Regulation will make a significant contribution towards the European Community's Kyoto Protocol target by introducing cost-effective mitigation measures and to prevent distortion of the internal market.

The main focus is on containment and recovery of f-gases, together with harmonised restrictions on the marketing and use of f-gases in applications where containment of f-gases is difficult to achieve or the use of f-gases is considered inappropriate and suitable alternatives exist.

The sectors affected

The containment and recovery articles in the Regulation will have an impact on the commercial refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump sectors and in the fire protection sector; and for the personnel involved in the installation, servicing and recovery of f-gases from these systems as well as from equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gas based solvents, high voltage switchgear and fire extinguishers. Operators of relevant systems will have a range of obligations including prompt leakage repair, leakage checking and record keeping and ensuring appropriately qualified personnel are used.

However, this Regulation will potentially also have an impact on a wider range of f-gas uses due to the recovery obligation provided for in Article 4.3.

The Regulation will also impact on producers, importers and exporters of f-gases if they produce, import or export more than 1 tonne of f-gases per annum as they will have to report to the Commission and Member States' competent authorities on the amounts produced, imported or exported.

In addition, specified products and equipment that contain f-gases will be subject to labelling requirements and specific uses of f-gases and products that contain f-gases are controlled or banned by the Regulation. These cover certain uses of sulphur hexafluoride for magnesium die-casing, use of certain f-gases in non-refillable containers, fire protection systems, tyres, one component foams, novelty aerosols, footwear and windows and self-chilling cans.

MAC Directive and final text

During negotiations in Council it was agreed that the measures in the Regulation relating to Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) should form part of a separate Directive amending existing vehicle type approval legislation.

The MAC Directive sets out measures to minimise emissions of f-gases from air conditioning systems in cars (or car derived vans). This is to be achieved principally through:

· the introduction of maximum leakage rates
· the eventual phase out in MAC use of f-gases with global warming potential greater than 150.

The Department of Transport is responsible for transposing the MAC Directive into UK law. For further information on the MAC Directive, contact Chris Parkin, Tel: 020 7944 2958

Initial UK Government Guidance

Key obligations in the Regulation will apply in the UK and the rest of the EU from 4th July 2007. The Government is continuing to work with stakeholders to ensure that the f-gas Regulation is successfully implemented and its environmental objectives achieved. This initial framework guidance is a key part of that work and has been developed in discussion with stakeholder groups. The guidance will be updated as necessary, including in the light of progress of the work of the f-gas Regulatory Committee (see section on article 12). A supplementary document to the initial guidance on frequently asked questions has also been published.

Future work to be carried out by the EU

Minimum Qualification Requirements for Personnel in the European Community involved in containment and recovery of f-gases and ODS.

The Consultants, ICF International, have submitted their final report to the Commission on F-Gas minimum qualifications requirements. This report provides information on what minimum qualifications are currently available in Member States and contains recommendations for each of the sectors caught by the Regulations. Please send your comments on this report by e-mail to alan.morgan@dti.gsi.gov.uk by close of play on Thursday 30 November 2006.

Minimum Qualification requirements for personnel in the EC involved in the containment and recovery of Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F-Gases) and Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) - Final Report September 2006 (743Kb)

Consultation on Labelling of Equipment Containing f-gases

IEEP, the Consultants engaged by the European Commission to develop label designs and to research related information, have produced an Industry questionnaire to assist them in the preparation of a proposed approach by the Commission to meet the labelling requirements under Article 7 of the F-Gas Regulation.

The deadline for completed questionnaires is Friday, 8 December 2006. Should you complete the questionnaire and return it to IEEP, I should be grateful if you could also copy me, alan.morgan@dti.gsi.gov.uk in on your reply.