EU proposes tighter regulation of fluorinated greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances 

Last week, the European Commission proposed two new regulations to more tightly control fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) and ozone depleting substances (ODS) as well as methods to update and modernise the Industrial Emissions Directive, a key legislation to help prevent and control pollution.

The adoption of these new F-gases and ODS regulations would represent a significant step towards limiting global temperature rise in line with the Paris Agreement. Both proposals together could bring about a total reduction in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of 490 Mt (CO2 equivalent) by 2050. While existing EU legislation (ODS Regulation and F-gases Regulation) has already limited the use and emissions of these gases significantly, the regulations proposed today will reduce emissions even further and provide incentives to use climate-friendly alternatives.

Updated EU industrial emissions rules will help guide industrial investments necessary for Europe’s transformation towards a zero-pollution, competitive, climate-neutral economy by 2050. They aim to spur innovation, reward frontrunners, and help level the playing field on the EU market. The revision will help provide long-term investment certainty, with first new obligations on industry expected in the second half of the decade. The revision builds on the overall approach of the existing Industrial Emissions Directive, which currently covers some 50,000 large industrial installations and intensive livestock farms in Europe.