PURPOSE: to conclude the agreement to amend the
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer
adopted in Kigali.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
BACKGROUND: the European Union has already approved
the Vienna Convention for the protection of the ozone layer, the
Montreal Protocol and the four previous amendments to the
Protocol.
At the 28th meeting of the Parties to the Montreal
Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, which took
place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 10th to 15th October 2016, the text
of an amendment to that Protocol (the Kigali amendment) was
adopted, adding a stepwise reduction of the consumption and
production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) to the control measures
of the Montreal Protocol.
A stepwise reduction of the consumption and production
of hydrofluorocarbons is necessary to reduce the contribution of
those substances to climate change and to prevent their unlimited
introduction, in particular in developing countries.
CONTENT: the proposal concerns the adoption by the
Council of a decision on the conclusion of the agreement to amend
the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer
adopted in Kigali.
The Kigali Amendment will enter into force on 1
January 2019, provided that at least 20 parties have deposited
their instruments of ratification. It is a necessary contribution
to the implementation of the Paris Agreement as regards its
objective to keep the global temperature increase well below
2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit
the temperature increase even further to 1.5°C above
pre-industrial levels.
The envisaged phase-down of HFCs is implemented
through Regulation
(EU) No 517/2014 that will have to be revised at a later stage
in order to ensure compliance with the Kigali Amendment beyond
2030.
Until 2030, the last year for which the Regulation
determines a reduction step, the phase-down schedule is stricter
than the future control measures under the Montreal Protocol. A
full impact assessment had been carried out. At this stage, no
changes to the Regulation are envisaged that may affect
companies.