Policy Updates

<p>On a monthly basis, the Eurovent Team compiles a global overview of the latest developments concerning new standardisation activities and technical regulations of relevance for the HVACR industry. Our Notifications allow members to be prepared for developments that can have an impact on them and their products.</p>

<p>The Commission has signed the contract with a consortium composed of Viegand Maagøe, VHK and Öko Recherche. Even though the contract runs for nine months until November, it is the intention to have it available preferably by September. In the coming days, a list of stakeholders that would be consulted will be established by the Commission and consortium.</p>

<p>The Commission has published 4-page roadmaps for the public at large and the stakeholders to provide input. This input will be taken into account for development and fine tuning of the revised Ecodesign Ventilation Units and Energy Labelling Ventilation Units Regulations.</p>

<p>The staff document on data servers covers the routes to procure data centres and includes a set of environmental criteria covering the whole life cycle from design and use, to end-of-life. The document on food and catering is of a more general nature. This is accompanied by a guide to calculate the Life Cycle Cost of vending appliances, including refrigerated vending machines.</p>

<p>On behalf of the European Commission (DG CLIMA), Oeko-Recherche is working on a series of analysis evaluating the implementation of the F-Gas Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 since 2015. This includes, among others, monitoring of the refrigerant prices. The Q4/2019 report has been recently shared with Eurovent.</p>

<p>During the fourth F-Gas Consultation Forum, scheduled for 25 March 2020, the consultants appointed by the Commission were to make presentations and have a discussion with the stakeholders. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, stakeholders are now requested to comment on the available presentations by 20 April.</p>

<p>The guidance notes from the EU are still those published in 2019. Meanwhile, the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU started in February. The United Kingdom has meanwhile withdrawn some of its guidance notes and replaced these with updates referring the documents released by the EU.</p>

<p>In response to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), Eurovent Associate Member REHVA has developed a guidance document and collected a bibliography, complemented by a dedicated website to guide the industry in relation to the virus outbreak.</p>

<p>On a monthly basis, the Eurovent Team compiles a global overview of the latest developments concerning new standardisation activities and technical regulations of relevance for the HVACR industry. Our Notifications allow members to be prepared for developments that can have an impact on them and their products.</p>

<p>On Friday, 13 March, the EU Commission published a communication outlining a series of measures that it is taking to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though health issues are a national competence, the European Commission plans actions in four areas to support the Member States. Moreover, on 16 March, the Commission has sent to the Member States a draft proposal for a State Aid Temporary Framework to support the economy in the context of the outbreak. This Temporary Framework will allow full flexibility for Member States under the ‘State aid rules’.</p>

<p>Within the EEPLIANT2 project, a number of Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) monitored and verified in a coordinated manner the conformity of 64 Professional Refrigerated Storage Cabinets with the Ecodesign Regulation 2015/1094 and Energy Labelling Regulation 2015/1094. Seven penalties were imposed, and products were removed from the market.</p>

<p>The European Commission has unveiled its new Circular Economy Action Plan, one of the flagship initiatives of the European Green Deal. The Action Plan provides an overview of upcoming policies to reduce resource use and improve the circularity of European value chains. It includes a Sustainable Product Policy Framework, the main aim of which is to widen the Ecodesign Directive beyond energy-related products and include sustainability and circularity principles.</p>