Brussels, 1st March 2023: The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) today urged the European Parliament to pause for thought before pressing ahead following its Environment Committee’s vote pushing for unrealistic and self-defeating bans of fluorinated gases.
The ENVI committee voted to ban all fluorinated gases in most products today, which will remain essential (next to non-fluorinated refrigerants) for the 60 million heat pumps that the EU aims to make available by 2030 to support energy independence and to secure the cold value chain for food and health safety.
“This week our alliance of associations and global partners urged the Committee to reconsider compromise amendments 10, 11, 13, 14 and 21 to the F-gas regulation,” said Russell Patten, Director General of EPEE.
“We fully support the phase down of HFCs and the use of alternative refrigerants like propane in heat pumps where feasible. But the fact is propane heat pumps cannot be installed in every building for private and commercial use, so customers would have no other choice than to go for fossil fuel technology or direct electric heaters. This would undermine Europe’s carbon neutrality goals, slow down the process of building decarbonisation and jeopardise the goals of Repower EU and the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan.”
“We also note that the amendments proposed will shorten the lifetime of currently installed equipment, limiting possibilities for maintenance and repair, while businesses and consumers are already under economic pressure,” said Patten.
Ahead of the Plenary vote, EPEE is calling on all MEPs to consider the ITRE report, which better grasps the needs and concerns of its sectors.
For further information, please contact secretariat@epeeglobal.org , Tel: +32 (0) 2 732 70 40 and visit our website (www.epeeglobal.org).
EPEE represents the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry in Europe. Founded in the year 2000, EPEE’s membership is composed of over 50 companies as well as national and international associations from three continents (Europe, North America, Asia). With manufacturing sites and research and development facilities across the EU, which innovate for the global market, EPEE member companies realise a turnover of over 30 billion Euros, employ more than 200,000 people in Europe and also create indirect employment through a vast network of small and medium-sized enterprises such as contractors who install, service and maintain equipment. https://epeeglobal.org/
