Peter Liese: Heat pumps will be better and more environmentally friendly / Good for the environment and innovative companies / EPP holds up exception for repairs for handicraft businesses
On Thursday morning, the Parliament reached an agreement with the Commission and Member States on the reduction of so-called F-gases. F-gases are up to 25,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. They are used, for example, in heat pumps, refrigerators and electrical switchgear. The agreement now calls for their gradual replacement with climate- and environmentally-friendly alternatives. Commenting on this, the environment policy spokesman for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), Dr. Peter Liese, said: “This is a strong result for climate protection. Many alternatives for F-gases are already available on the market and European manufacturers are leading the way, for example, in heat pumps or electrical switchgear using natural refrigerants. This puts the EU in a better position to compete with products from China, for example, which are more harmful to the climate.”
“However, the agreement also provides for targeted exemptions to take account of problems in certain sectors,” explains Liese, “For us as the Christian Democrats, it was particularly important to enable craftsmen to continue using the refrigerants in existing systems when repairs are carried out. Installers and refrigeration technicians, but above all their customers such as bakeries, butchers and breweries feared that otherwise devices, which are only a few years old, must be replaced completely. Our amendment, which we pushed through in a controversial vote in plenary, is part of the final agreement. It is also important that a substance used to control bark beetles (sulfuryl fluoride) can remain on the market. Parliament had voted for a ban against our position,” Liese explained. The final decision on the agreement in Parliament and Council is scheduled for December. However, the agreement is expected to pass.
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