Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 15 Reduction of the quantity of hydrofluorocarbons placed on the market

1. The Commission shall ensure that the quantity of hydrofluorocarbons that producers and importers are entitled to place on the market in the Union each year does not exceed the maximum quantity for the year in question calculated in accordance with Annex V.

Producers and importers shall ensure that the quantity of hydrofluorocarbons calculated in accordance with Annex V that that each of them places on the market does not exceed their respective quota allocated pursuant to Article 16(5) or transferred pursuant to Article 18.

2. This Article shall not apply to producers or importers of less than 100 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent of hydrofluorocarbons per year.

This Article shall also not apply to the following categories of hydrofluorocarbons:

(a) hydrofluorocarbons imported into the Union for destruction;

(b) hydrofluorocarbons used by a producer in feedstock applications or supplied directly by a producer or an importer to undertakings for use in feedstock applications;

(c) hydrofluorocarbons supplied directly by a producer or an importer to undertakings, for export out of the Union, where those hydrofluorcarbons are not subsequently made available to any other party within the Union, prior to export;

(d) hydrofluorocarbons supplied directly by a producer or an importer for use in military equipment;

(e) hydrofluorocarbons supplied directly by a producer or an importer to an undertaking using it for the etching of semiconductor material or the cleaning of chemicals vapour deposition chambers within the semiconductor manufacturing sector;

(f) from 1 January 2018 onwards, hydrofluorocarbons supplied directly by a producer or an importer to an undertaking producing metered dose inhalers for the delivery of pharmaceutical ingredients.

3. This Article and Articles 16, 18, 19 and 25 shall also apply to hydrofluorocarbons contained in pre-blended polyols.

4. Following a substantiated request by a competent authority of a Member State and taking into account the objectives of this Regulation, the Commission may, exceptionally, by means of implementing acts, authorise an exemption for up to four years to exclude from the quota requirement laid down in paragraph 1 hydrofluorocarbons for use in specific applications, or specific categories of products or equipment, where it is demonstrated that:

(a) for those particular applications, products or equipment, alternatives are not available, or cannot be used for technical or safety reasons; and

(b) a sufficient supply of hydrofluorcarbons cannot be ensured without entailing disproportionate costs.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 24.