Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-30-Speech-2-254"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20040330.9.2-254"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, let me comment on the amendments and come back to the purpose and scope of the proposal, because a significant number of the amendments proposed by Parliament, such as better or new definitions of terms, reinforce and clarify the Commission's proposal, and the Commission can accept many of them to a greater or lesser degree. The Commission also welcomes a number of amendments that strengthen the provisions on containment and inspections and the training and certification of personnel involved in containment.
In conclusion, I should like to underline that the Commission supports many of the amendments proposed for the first reading, and Parliament, by acting so quickly, sends an important message to the Council that there is now a need for increased focus on this proposal with the aim of reaching a final conclusion as quickly as possible. I will hand over to the secretariat a list summarising the Commission's position on each individual amendment. Thank you for this debate.
It is important to say that this proposal is only a first step. The Commission has indicated that it will look at a number of other issues, such as foams. Consequently, it cannot accept the amendments on recovery, in particular in relation to foams. Further action needs to be based on the careful assessment of the benefits and the costs.
Neither can the Commission accept amendments that would either weaken the proposed inspection system of air conditioning and stationary refrigeration or put in place additional requirements as regards training and certification of personnel, both for the Commission and the Member States that have not been evaluated.
An important part of this proposal is the reporting system, which will enable the Commission to check the accuracy of emissions reported to the UN Convention on Climate Change and to support possible further action. The Commission proposal tries to ensure that the necessary information can be collected without imposing too onerous a reporting system on industry, especially SMEs. In this context, the Commission cannot accept a number of amendments.
The Commission believes that its proposal on use bans and the phase-out of some products and equipment containing fluorinated gases is based on a careful evaluation of all sectors and is balanced and cost-effective. Consequently, it cannot support the amendment that would remove the derogation for small magnesium dye-casters using less than 500 kg per annum. The cost for this limited number of small and medium-sized enterprises to convert to an alternative would be high, hence the exemption.
There are two other bans that deserve comment. The deletion of the ban on perfluorinated carbons in fire fighting cannot be justified since, apart from some minor uses, the market has already moved to other alternatives. As regards aerosols containing fluorinated gases, the new definition would exclude a number of novelty aerosols, while the inclusion of pharmaceutical aerosols in the exemption category could be a big loophole.
On the sensitive issue of the phase-out of the fluorinated gases in mobile air conditioning in vehicles, the Commission notes with interest the amendments to ban fluorinated gases, essentially HFC134a in mobile air conditioning in new vehicle models from 1 January 2009, and that a ban should apply to all new vehicles from 1 January 2014.
The Commission prefers to remain with its overall position on mobile air conditioning, given other amendments that reject the quota system and ban all fluorinated gases used in mobile air conditioning with a global warming potential over 50, rather than 150, as proposed by the Commission. The latter would effectively exclude the use of fluorinated gas mixtures or HFC152a and favour CO2 mobile air conditioning systems.
Finally, as regards the legal basis, the Commission is proposing that the regulation be based on Article 95 – the internal market – and cannot support amendments that propose that the regulation be based on a dual legal basis. The Commission believes that while the environmental objective of reducing emissions of fluorinated gases is paramount, the main thrust of the proposal is more relevant to the functioning of the internal market and Article 95."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples