EUROPE: Contractors fear that the proposal to ban the manufacture and supply of pre-charged refrigeration and air conditioning equipment within Europe is unlikely to succeed.
With the next European Parliament Environment Committee meeting on revisions to the F-gas regulations scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Graeme Fox, president of the European contractors body AREA, admitted that the pre-charge ban proposal looked doomed in the face of manufacturers' opposition and an Irish compromise proposal on quotas.

Speaking about the proposal at last week's XV European Conference on air conditioning and refrigeration technologies in Milan, he said 'I believe it looks likely that the working groups of the European Council will be unlikely to maintain it,' he said.

According to AREA, Ireland, which currently holds the presidency of the EU, is proposing the establishment of refrigerant quotas instead of an out right pre-charged equipment ban.

'The Irish have said, quite openly to me, that this compromise does nothing to address unprofessional installations. It is purely oncerned with quota levels of gas in Europe. So it really doesn't address the issues we have been trying to raise the awareness of.'

Graeme Fox pointed out that air conditioning and refrigeration engineers need the support of manufacturers to ensure professionalism but expressed regret at the reaction of some manufacturers to the proposal.

Accusing them of scaremongering and spreading misinformation, he said 'The self-interest of certain manufacturers in protecting their supply route to direct selling to anybody who has the cash available undermines all of what we are trying to do.

'Words are cheap. Actions take courage and I fear that a failure to see this proposal through will be a missed opportunity that our sector will long pay the price for.'

www.area-eur.be/events/area-speaks-about-f-gas-xv-european-conference