REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION on availability of training for service personnel regarding the safe handling of climate-friendly technologies replacing or reducing the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases
Date: 2016-11-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission
Subjects: clean technology, greenhouse gas, in-service training, occupational safety, professional qualifications, reduction of gas emissions, technical profession, updating of skills

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 30.11.2016  
COM(2016) 748 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

on availability of training for service personnel regarding the safe handling of climate-
friendly technologies replacing or reducing the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
1.  Introduction 

Regulation  (EU)  No  517/20141  requires  a  reduction  in  the  quantities  of  hydrofluorocarbons 
(HFCs) that companies may place on the market in the EU, i. e. through import or production. 
By reducing the sale of these often highly warming greenhouse gases, their emissions will be 
reduced significantly over time.  

The phase-down started in 2015 and will reduce the permitted supply of HFCs: by 2030 the 
supply of HFCs will be reduced by 79% compared to 2009-2012. In 2030 alone, the phase-
down  will  have  resulted  in  emissions  avoided  corresponding  to  70  million  tonnes  of  CO2 
equivalents2. This is a two-thirds reduction compared to business as usual. Thus it will make a 
significant contribution to meeting the Union's climate targets.3 

When the supply of HFCs is reduced, manufacturers of equipment and products using HFCs 
today  must  shift  to  climate-friendly  alternative  refrigerants.  As  technological  progress  has 
made  large  strides  in  recent  years,  shifting  to  suitable  and  energy-efficient  alternative 
refrigerants with a low global warming potential (GWP) has become feasible in many types of 
equipment and products.4  

However,  many  of  the  alternative  refrigerants  have  properties  that  may  be  less  familiar  to 
equipment service personnel and the end-user e.g. flammability or high pressure. To enable 
the  safe  installation  and  operation  of  equipment  using  alternative  refrigerants,  appropriate 
training must become available and taken up by the service personnel on a large scale across 
the whole of the EU as the phase-down progresses. If this is not the case, it may be putting the 
transition to alternative refrigerants at risk and result in higher costs than necessary.  

In  this  context,  this  report  responds  to  Article  21(6)  of  Regulation  (EU)  No  517/2014 
requiring  the  Commission  to,  "no  later  than  1  January  2017,  publish  a  report  examining 
Union  legislation  with  respect  to  the  training  of  natural  persons  for  the  safe  handling  of 
alternative refrigerants to replace or reduce the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases and shall 
submit, if appropriate, a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council 
to  amend  the  relevant  Union  legislation."  This  report  provides  an  analysis  of  the  relevant 
Union legislation. It also assesses the training that is currently available in all Member States, 
the uptake of that training by service personnel and other current training initiatives that can 
be used as the basis for the wider promotion of training for alternative refrigerants. 

This report was assisted by external technical work undertaken for the Commission including 
a  questionnaire  seeking  input  from  Member  States'  authorities  as  well  as  extensive 

1 OJ L 150, 20.05.2014, p.195. 
2 Commission Staff Working Paper: Impact assessment - Review of Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases, 
7.11.2012, SWD(2012) 364 final. http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/f-gas/legislation/docs/swd_2012_364_en.pdf.  
3 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social committee and the 
Committee of the Regions: A policy framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030, COM/2014/015 final: http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0015 
4 Study on alternatives for high ambient temperatures, Öko-Recherche, November 2014: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/f-
gas/legislation/studies_en.htm 

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consultations  with  stakeholders5,  including  deliberations  within  the  Consultation  Forum 
established pursuant to Article 23 of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014.  

2.  EU Legislation and product standards related to training 

2.1 Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 (F-gas Regulation)  

Regulation  (EU)  No  517/2014  and  related  Commission  Implementing  Regulations6  set  out 
very  specific  requirements  at  EU  level  for  training  and  certification  of  technicians  handling 
fluorinated greenhouse gas refrigerants. Many of them are based on measures already in place 
under  the  previous  Regulation  (EC)  No  842/2006  and  its  Implementing  Regulations  from 
2008. These requirements serve the main purpose of ensuring that greenhouse gas emissions 
from equipment are minimised7. 

Since 1 January 2015 certified technicians must also have, in addition to technical knowledge 
and practical training on fluorinated greenhouse gases8, "information on relevant technologies 
to replace or to reduce the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases and their safe handling." The 
intention  is  to  provide  technicians  being  trained  in  the  use  of  fluorinated  greenhouse  gases 
with  some  general  background  about  the  properties  of  alternative  refrigerants  (i.e.  CO2, 
ammonia,  hydrocarbons  and  HFOs9),  and  the  characteristics  of  equipment  designed  to  use 
them. More specific training requirements regarding the alternative refrigerants (which are not 
fluorinated  greenhouse  gases)  are  not  included  in  the  Regulation,  as  these  alternative 
refrigerants are not covered by its scope.10  

2.2 Other relevant EU legislation  

On  the  other  hand,  other  EU  legislation  aiming  to  assure  the  safe  handling  of  equipment 
includes obligations on training related to alternative refrigerants (see Table 1). In addition to 
specific  legislation  that  relates  to  risks  such  as  flammability  and  pressure,  wider  product 
safety as well as health and safety legislation is relevant in this context.  

Table 1: Other EU legislation relevant to the safe handling of alternative refrigerants to 
fluorinated greenhouse gases 

Category 

EU Legislation 

Pressure 

Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC (and Recast 2014/68/EU) 

Flammability / 

ATEX 95 – Explosive Atmospheres Directive 2014/34/EU (repealing 

5 European Union legislation relevant to training of personnel enabling the safe handling of alternative refrigerants, Ricardo (2015). 
http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/f-gas/legislation/docs/legislation_training_personnel_en.pdf  
6 For refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2015/2067 and Commission 
Regulation (EC) No 307/2008. 
7 Relevant activities are installation, servicing, maintenance, repair, decommissioning of equipment, in addition to leak checking as well as 
recovery of fluorinated greenhouse gases at the end of the useful life. 
8 Article 10(3)(e) of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014. 
9 Hydrofluoroolefins are unsaturated hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with very low GWP. 
10 However, where fluorinated greenhouse gases are blended with alternative refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, CO2 or HFOs, these mixtures 
are subject to all Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 training and certification requirements as well as any extra requirements related to the Safety 
Directives referred to below. 

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Explosive 
Atmospheres 

Directive 94/9/EC) 

ATEX  137  –  Directive  99/92/EC  on  minimum  requirements  for 
improving the safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk 
from explosive atmospheres. 

Health and 
Safety 

Directive  89/391/EEC  –  Occupational  Safety  and  Health  Framework 
Directive (OSH) 

Product Safety 

Directive  2006/95/EC (and Recast2014/35/EU)  - Low Voltage 
Directive 

Directive 2004/108/EC (and Recast 2014/30/EU) - Electromagnetic 
Compatibility Directive  

Directive 2006/42/EC - Machinery Directive 

At  the  EU  level,  Directive  89/391/EEC  on  Occupational  Safety  and  Health  Framework 
encourages measures to improve the safety and health of workers at work. It provides general 
requirements  for  the  training  of  employees,  including  temporary  staff/contractors  who  work 
on the same premises. Workers must receive training upon recruitment (before starting work), 
in the event of a transfer or a change of job, when work equipment is introduced for the first 
time  or  changed,  and  when  new  technology  is  introduced.  Although  these  are  general 
requirements, they are obviously relevant to aspects related to alternative refrigerants where 
the handling and use of these could pose a risk to workers. The point of introduction of new 
technologies is of particular relevance in this context. Particular occupational risks and safety 
issues are also covered by other specific directives such as those related to pressure equipment 
and explosive atmospheres.  

The  Pressure  Equipment  Directive  2014/68/EU,  which  is  relevant  to  equipment  using  e.g. 
CO2,  refers  to  the  training  required  by  notified  bodies,  third  party  organisations  and  user 
inspectorates.  The  Explosive  Atmosphere  Directive  2014/34/EC  and  the  Safety  and  Health 
Protection of Workers Directive 1999/92/EC is the key European legislation addressing safety 
requirements  in  relation  to  explosive  atmospheres  and  for  improving  the  safety  and  health 
protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. These requirements are 
relevant  for  flammable  alternative  refrigerants  such  as  hydrocarbons  or  HFOs.  Specific 
training  requirements  relate  to  staff  responsible  for  conformance  inspections.  Directive 
1999/92/EC also places a responsibility on employers to provide appropriate training for work 
in  relation  to  risks  from  explosive  atmospheres  without  specifically  referencing  alternative 
refrigerants  but  includes  relevant  aspects  such  as  informing  them  of  explosion  hazards, 
protective measures taken, how the hazard arises, the correct way of working with equipment, 
personal protective equipment to be worn, and availability of operating instructions. The duty 
to provide training also extends to external contractors. 

Furthermore, there are a number of product safety directives that include requirements for the 
placing  of  certain  types  of  products  on  the  market,  and  are  designed  to  help  promote  the 

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Single  Market.  These  are  generally  aimed  at  the  manufacturers,  and  therefore  place 
requirements on them with regard to the product and provision of information on the product, 
rather than in relation to the training of those handling alternative refrigerants. Product safety 
legislation  including  Directives  2014/35/EU,  2014/30/EU  and  Directive  2006/42/EC  do  not 
provide specific training requirements in  relation to  the use  and safe  handling of alternative 
refrigerants, but do provide requirements for the training of personnel responsible for carrying 
out  conformity  assessments  and  co-operation  on  training  activities  between  Member  States 
competent authorities responsible for product safety. 

All these pieces of legislation are Directives and thus leave some margin of implementation to 
the  Member  States.  Therefore  the  approach  taken  for  alternative  refrigerants  clearly  differs 
from that described in the directly applicable Regulation for fluorinated greenhouse gases. By 
way  of  example,  there  are  no  specific  EU  minimum  requirements  identified  in  the  relevant 
Directives  affecting  the  alternative  refrigerants  and  no  mandatory  EU  certification  schemes. 
Employers are expected to keep records of training given to staff, but there is no role defined 
at  EU  level  for  refrigeration  certification  bodies.  The  absence  of  EU  prescriptive  minimum 
standards  and  of  an  EU  certification  requirement  may  lead  some  companies  to  believe  that 
there are no mandatory training requirements. This is definitely not the case.  

It is also important to note that prescriptive training and competence requirements are given in 
two EN standards that apply to refrigerants, including both fluorinated greenhouse gases and 
their  alternatives.  In  particular,  EN13313  addresses  the  competence  of  personnel  for 
refrigerating systems and heat pumps. It defines the activities related to refrigerating circuits 
and  the  associated  competence  profiles  and  establishes  procedures  and  a  framework  for 
assessing the competence  of persons who carry out these activities, including a certification 
scheme.  This  includes,  for  example,  aspects  related  to  alternative  refrigerants  such  as 
flammability,  toxicity  and  pressure,  giving  an  indication  of  the  level  of  competence  for 
different parts of the work processes e.g. design, installation, operation, general maintenance, 
decommissioning  etc.  Another  key  standard  for  refrigerants  is  EN378,  which  includes  (in 
EN378-4) training elements that are relevant to alternative refrigerants that are flammable. 

In  summary,  the  analysis  of  EU  legislation  shows  that  a  number  of  EU  Directives  already 
require  suitable  training  for  personnel  working  on  alternative  refrigerants.  There  is  also  a 
mandatory requirement to ensure that staff handling alternative refrigerants receives adequate 
training to protect them from safety risks – in particular risks related to the use of flammable 
alternative  refrigerants  and  risks  related  to  use  of  high  pressure  equipment.  These  pieces  of 
legislation  place  an  obligation  on  employers  to  ensure  that  risks  are  properly  assessed  and 
that,  as  part  of  a  risk  mitigation  process,  appropriate  training  is  given  to  staff.  The 
requirements  apply  both  to  product  designers  working  for  equipment  manufacturers  and  to 
technicians  carrying  out  installation,  maintenance  and  end-of-life  decommissioning.  Under 
the  existing  Directives  it  would  already  be  illegal  for  an  employer  to  allow  an  employee  to 
work  on  systems  with,  for  example,  a  flammable  refrigerant  unless  they  have  adequate 
training. The mandatory training requirements for alternative refrigerants are less prescriptive 
than  those  for  fluorinated  greenhouse  gases,  but  if  the  requirements  of  Directives  listed  in 

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Table 1 combined with the requirements in EN 13313 constitute a good legal framework for 
training requirements.5  

The  Consultation  Forum  meeting11  held  on  10th  September  2015  therefore  discussed  the 
current legislation framework, as outlined above, with respect to the provision of training for 
alternative  refrigerants  and  the  preliminary  conclusion  that  the  current  legal  framework, 
although  non-prescriptive  at  EU  level,  provides  a  sufficient  legal  basis  for  the  provision  of 
training for alternative refrigerants to assure their safe use. The members of the Consultation 
Forum  generally  accepted  this  view.5  However,  some  stakeholders  pointed  out  that 
harmonised,  detailed  rules  at  EU  level  could  potentially  simplify  training  decisions  for 
employers  and  a  certification  process  could  help  monitor  the  uptake  of  training.  Others 
cautioned  that  any  additional  legal  requirements  for  alternative  refrigerants  might  further 
impede their introduction and use.  

3.  Availability of training in Member States 

Service personnel that are handling equipment with fluorinated greenhouse gases will likely 
also  be  the  personnel  that  will  provide  these  services  on  equipment  using  alternative 
refrigerants.  Pursuant  to  the  requirements  of  the  previous  Regulation  on  fluorinated  gases 
(Regulation  (EC)  No  842/2006),  all  Member  States  have  notified  certification  and  training 
schemes for using equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in the relevant sectors. 
On the basis of a survey12 directed at Member State authorities, it was established that today a 
total  of  160  000  trained  and  certified  fluorinated  gas  technicians  are  working  on  stationary 
refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems, working for a total of 40 000 certified 
companies.  On  average,  there  are  40  fluorinated  gas  trained  technicians  and  10  certified 
companies  per  100  000  population.  The  market  is  dominated  by  numerous  and  very  small 
companies.  

Sixteen Member States reported having a central personnel and company register to provide 
access to lists of technicians and companies that have certification for fluorinated greenhouse 
gases. Central registers are helpful to end-users wishing to verify that they are using properly 
certified technicians. In Member States without a central register such checks need to be made 
through the relevant certification body.   

The  situation  today  with  regard  to  the  availability  of  training  for  alternative  refrigerants  is 
summarised  in  Table  2.  A  fairly  high  proportion  (71%)  of  Member  States  have  training 
available  for  ammonia  (as  this  refrigerant  has  been  in  use  for  a  long  time  already),  but 
availability  is  much  lower  for  other  alternative  refrigerants.  The  percentages  of  technicians 
trained  in  the  different  alternative  refrigerants  as  a  percentage  of  the  total  number  of 
fluorinated  gas  trained  technicians  in  the  EU  is  very  low  (0-2.3%).  However,  unlike  for 
fluorinated  greenhouse  gases,  where  there  is  a  mandatory  certification  scheme  providing 
Member State government officials with a means of obtaining accurate data for the number of 

11 http://ec.europa.eu/clima/events/articles/0106_en.htm 
12 Response rate: 22 Member States representing over 91% of EU population 

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certified technicians, this is not the case for alternative refrigerants. It is therefore likely that 
the actual numbers of those trained on alternative refrigerants are higher than those reported 
in the survey. Nonetheless, the uptake of training of alternative refrigerants appears to be still 
low. 

Table 2: Analysis of training in climate-friendly alternative refrigerants to fluorinated 
greenhouse gases 

Ammonia 

CO2 

Hydrocarbons: 
small hermetic 
systems 

Hydrocarbons: 
larger systems 
(split systems, 
chillers) 

HFOs 

71% 

52% 

48% 

35% 

20% 

2.3% 

2.2% 

0.7% 

0.05% 

0% 

Training available in 
country  
(% of Member States) 

Proportion of certified 
fluorinated gas personnel 
trained in alternative 
refrigerants 

Training  involves  theoretical  knowledge  as  well  as  practical  training  on  the  relevant 
equipment.  The  latter  aspect  is  more  cost-intensive  as  it  requires  the  establishment  of 
sufficiently equipped training centres. Some relevant training centres exist already in Member 
States, with some 90 providing theoretical training and around 50 providing practical training 
identified  in  14  Member  States.  The  geographic  distribution  shows  that  the  availability  of 
such  facilities  is  much  better  in  some  Member  States  than  in  others.  The  structure  of  the 
industry,  with  micro-enterprises  being  so  dominant,  is  a  potential  barrier  to  the  roll-out  of 
training for climate-friendly alternatives. It is relatively hard for very small companies to fund 
the training required in the wide range of alternatives that are becoming available. 

A number of Member States have reported initiatives to increase the uptake of training related 
to climate-friendly alternative refrigerants. Some Member States will include aspects of these 
alternative  refrigerants  in  their  training  qualifications  (United  Kingdom,  Spain),  others  are 
planning to set up additional specific training facilities (Germany, Netherlands) and some are 
funding  projects  on  training  know-how,  promotion  of  alternative  refrigerants  and  company 
awareness  of  training  needs  (Bulgaria,  Estonia).  Furthermore,  some  national  training 
organisations are planning to improve training on alternative refrigerants (Finland). 

4.  Private sector and other initiatives 

Despite  the  absence  of  prescriptive  requirements  for  alternative  refrigerants  at  EU  level, 
industry  has  pursued  specific  initiatives  with  regards  to  training  on  climate-friendly 
alternative refrigerants, partly because of legal safety requirements and other requirements as 
discussed  in  section  2  above.  In  this  way,  manufacturers  of  products  that  use  alternative 

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refrigerants  provide,  in  most  cases,  training  themselves  as  well  as  dedicated  personnel  to 
perform maintenance operations for the end-user. This is e.g. the case for the large centralised 
CO2 supermarket refrigeration systems. 

Furthermore,  the  Air-conditioning  and  Refrigeration  European  Association  (AREA)  has 
published  a  guide  on  minimum  requirements  for  contractors’  training  and  certification.13 
These  requirements  are  aligned  with  standard  EN  13313  ("Refrigerating  systems  and  heat 
pumps;  competence  of  personnel").  The  AREA  material  provides  comprehensive  training 
frameworks and suggested course structures for ammonia, CO2 and hydrocarbons.   

Finally,  a  firm  foundation  for  future  training  activities,  in  particular  for  theoretical  training, 
throughout  the  EU  is  being  provided  through  the  "Real  Alternatives"  project14  which  is  a 
multi-country  training  initiative  that  has  been  supported  by  the  European  Commission,  the 
United Nations Environmental Programme and a number of companies. This programme has 
created a comprehensive body of training material including e-learning modules for climate-
friendly alternative refrigerants which is available publicly on its website in six languages.  

5.  Barriers due to training availability 

The training issue is being taken very seriously by the various stakeholders involved - from 
suppliers  of  equipment,  service  personnel  to  end-users  and  responsible  authorities  -  and  the 
awareness  of  the  need  for  more  and  adequate  training  on  equipment  using  alternative 
refrigerants  is  high.  Nevertheless,  there  are  a  number  of  shortcomings  that  have  been 
identified and which may act as barriers if not addressed. 

5.1 Availability of appropriate training materials 

There is good availability of training materials that can support training programmes related 
to  alternative  refrigerants  (EN  13331  standard,  AREA  guidelines,  the  EU-funded  Real 
Alternatives project, many national activities), many of them freely available to technicians in 
all  Member  States.  This  can  provide  a  platform  for  the  improved  roll-out  of  training  but 
besides the  possible need for material in  other languages  they need  incremental,  continuous 
development  to  reflect  changes  such  as  the  introduction  of  new  standards,  new  alternative 
refrigerants  and  technology  developments  and  improvements  in  understanding  how  to  use 
climate-friendly  alternative  refrigerants.  Translations  into  all  relevant  languages  would  also 
support  a  wider  use  across  the  EU.  These  on-going  developments  should  be  further 
encouraged.  The  key  to  success  will  be  to  encourage  technicians  across  the  EU  to  use  the 
training resources that are already available. 

5.2 Lack of practical training facilities 

13 Low GWP Refrigerants: Guidance on minimum requirements for contractors’ training & certification, AREA Guidance Paper November 2014 
http://www.area-eur.be/system/files/Documents/AREA%20-%20Guidance%20training%20Low%20GWP%20refrigerants%20%282014%29.pdf 
14  http://www.realalternatives.eu/about-u, funded by EU Lifelong Learning Programme 

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While  the  availability  of  existing  materials  such  as  relevant  information  documents  and 
software for theoretical training (either via e-learning or classroom based) is reasonable, there 
appears to be a considerable shortage of practical training facilities for hands-on training on 
relevant equipment in some regions. The slow provision of an adequate number of practical 
training  facilities  is  thought  to  be  related  to  the  investment  cost  to  set  up  such  facilities,  as 
well  as  running  costs.  Relevant  authorities  at  all  levels  may  need  to  consider  ways  of 
encouraging more investment in such facilities, in cooperation with associations representing 
contractors and equipment providers, as well as colleges, vocational education centres, trade 
unions and private training schools. 

5.3 Lack of trained engineers and technicians  

Despite the availability of good training materials, it is clear that the currently known uptake 
of  training  is  too  low  to  match  the  medium  and  long  term  requirements  of  the  HFC  phase-
down. There is a general lack of preparedness for alternative refrigerants including ammonia, 
CO2, hydrocarbons and HFOs. This applies to both technicians that carry out installation and 
maintenance work and to professional engineers that specify and design equipment.  

While the current use of the alternative refrigerants is relatively limited, an increased number 
of trained technicians need to match uptake of alternative refrigerants as the HFC phase-down 
becomes  more  and  more  challenging.  Already  in  2018  HFC  availability  (measured  in  CO2 
equivalent) must be reduced by 37% compared to 2015.  By that time it will be important that 
a much higher proportion of technicians have been trained. In some regions the lack of trained 
service  providers  is  an  important  factor  for  abstaining  from  a  conversion  to  alternative 
refrigerants,  e.g.  to  the  use  of  CO2  in  commercial  refrigeration.  It  will  be  important  to 
encourage the uptake of training quickly, giving a role to relevant authorities, industry trade 
bodies,  equipment  manufacturers  as  well  as  training  organisations.  Awareness  campaigns 
among end-users and the equipment distribution chain (e.g. wholesalers, supermarkets, large 
building operators) promoting  the training and facilitating an exchange of best practices are 
needed. One possible way of achieving a multiplication of effort and addressing the existing 
geographic  imbalance  could  be  the  use  of  train-the-trainer  programmes.  Besides  equipment 
producers ensuring that service personnel is trained on technologies that are newly introduced, 
big end-users (i.e. large retailers) can have an important impact, notably by requiring that only 
duly  trained  technicians  work  with  their  systems.  Some  industry  associations  at  a  national 
level  are  considering  to  define  minimum  training  requirements  or  establishing  "skill  card" 
systems on a voluntary basis to give technicians an official record of their training and skills 
profile.  

6.  Conclusions  

In response to Article 21(6) of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014, the Commission examined the 
EU legislation with respect to the training of natural persons for safe handling of alternative 
refrigerants  replacing  fluorinated  greenhouse  gases.  Based  on  this  assessment  it  can  be 
concluded that, by and large, the legislative framework complemented by existing standards 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
at  the  European  level  appears  appropriate  to  assure  safe  handling  of  such  equipment  where 
these rules are followed. Further legislative action at EU level on this issue seems therefore 
not appropriate at this time.  

Still,  on  the  basis  of  input  from  Member  States'  authorities  and  other  stakeholders, 
shortcomings were  identified  in  practice as regards the existing training offer  for the use of 
climate-friendly alternative technologies. In particular, a current lack of training facilities, the 
provision of practical training and the number of skilled personnel are apparent. More efforts 
are needed to ensure that the provision of training will meet the rising future demand. 

In this context, based on preliminary findings of this report, the Commission already included 
training on alternative refrigerants as one of the key priorities in the 2016 call for proposals 
under  the  LIFE  programme15.  Also,  there  is  increasing  activity  in  this  field  by  stakeholders 
including  associations  of  technicians,  private  companies  and  authorities.  Companies  selling 
equipment with alternative refrigerants have an interest in promoting the skills to handle this 
equipment  and  could  further  facilitate  the  access  to  training  on  their  equipment  as  well  as 
cooperating  with  independent  training  centres.  Technician  associations  are  looking  at  new 
fields  of  work  for  their  members  and  could  similarly  promote  and  facilitate  the  access  to 
training. National authorities could use available funding programmes to support the setting 
up of relevant facilities and training programmes as well as raising awareness of existing rules 
and standards. 

15 The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/about/index.htm 

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