EU to ratify Kigali Amendment

The European Union is poised to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol following the publication yesterday of a draft decision from the EU executive that paves the way for the agreement’s entry into force

Yesterday the European Commission published its proposed decision on the conclusion of the agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer adopted in Kigali. The document gives EU countries the green light to start the process of ratification.

Under EU rules, the Council will has to formally endorse any international agreements which are entered into by the European Union. The Kigali Amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2019 if it has been ratified by at least 20 parties beforehand. This threshold will be met upon formal ratification by EU countries in the Council.

The move is an expression of the EU’s full support for phasing down HFCs.

Background:

The European Union’s new F-Gas Regulation, which entered into force in 2015, aims to reduce HFCs by 79% by 2030, as compared to average levels in 2011-2013. To help deliver this target, it is progressively banning the use of certain HFCs in different types of new equipment. In 2022, for example, bans on using certain HFCs with GWPs above 150 in new centralised and plug-in commercial refrigeration equipment will come into effect.