European Commission is to bring a lawsuit against Portugal:
CFC’s remain without treatment
Portugal is in danger of having to pay a fine, imposed by the European Commission, due to lack of compliance of articles 16th and 17th of Regulation CE 2037/2000 of 29th of June that compel member states, from the 1st of January 2002, to treat all refrigerating and air conditioning systems that may contain substances like CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) that deplete the ozone layer.
Quercus, in March 2003, presented a complaint against Portugal to the European Commission, regarding the fact that only 0,5% of the 500 000 units of refrigerating and air conditioning systems were rightly sent to industrial units that have the conditions and ability to recover and treat the CFC’s that those equipments contain.
The European Commission recently answered to the complaint presented by Quercus, (see the EC answer) informing that an infraction process is to be brought against Portugal, having the incorrect implementation of articles 16th and 17th of Regulation CE 2037/2000 (that demand the recovery of substances that deplete the ozone layer and minimization of all possible leaks of these substances) as motive.
At the time of the presentation of the complaint to the EC, Quercus asked (in a press release) for the urgent implementation of the following measures:
1 – All refrigerating and air conditioning equipments must be sent to industrial units licensed for their treatment. This measure is particularly directed at landfill management systems and municipalities, which are the entities that regularly collect and receive this type of wastes.
2 – To create an exceptional financing mechanism to allow for the operations presented in the preceding paragraph. The Government, municipalities, waste management systems and mainly, producers of this kind of equipments, should support this financing mechanism.
Unfortunately, reality places Portugal in question, since between January and August 2004, only 4887 units with CFC’s have been treated, and of those, 75% (3650) were sent by Valorsul, the Lisbon waste management system.
The question still stands: at present what is the fate of equipments with CFC’s, namely those produced in the Oporto region (Lipor System)?
Lisbon, 30th September 2004
Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation
Contacts: Rui Berkemeier +351 934 256 581; Pedro Carteiro +351 934 285 343