EU global action on ozone layer protection
Being Parties to the Montreal Protocol, the EU and its Member States are strongly committed to preserving the ozone layer to protect human health, safeguard the environment, and achieve global climate targets.
The EU has championed eco-friendly alternatives and best practices to prevent the emission of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) for decades, and today, EU regulations on ODS exceed the requirements of the Montreal Protocol.
Moreover, the EU collaborates closely with its international partners to support a global phase-out plan for ODS, as well as other Decisions under the Protocol aimed at preventing ODS emissions. The EU was also instrumental in securing an agreement to phase down climate-altering hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Protocol in 2016, and continues to advocate for early action to replace HFCs wherever feasible.
Both EU and global efforts have already had, and are expected to continue having, significant positive impacts on preserving the ozone layer and addressing climate change. For more information, please visit our dedicated page on ODS-related achievements.
Nevertheless, continuous, coordinated efforts by all 198 Parties to the Montreal Protocol are essential to safeguarding these important results and ensuring further progress.
The Montreal Protocol
History
In the 1970s, scientists predicted that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – widely used in household products – would deplete the ozone layer. The discovery of an "ozone hole" over Antarctica in the 1980s confirmed these concerns.
The above findings led the international community to adopt the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer in 1985 and the Montreal Protocol in 1987, with Decision 88/540/EEC allowing the EU to ratify both. By 2008, the Montreal Protocol had achieved universal ratification. Often described as "the most successful environmental treaty to date," it has evolved through multiple amendments to control more substances and set stricter requirements for ozone layer protection.
The most recent update of the Protocol, known the Kigali Amendment, mandates a global phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs have often been used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Although they do not harm the ozone layer like ODS, HFCs are fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) that contribute to global warming. This makes the Protocol a significant tool in the fight against climate change. For more information on how the Protocol contributes to global climate action, please visit our dedicated page.
To learn more about the history of the Montreal Protocol, please consult the timeline created by the Ozone Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Key elements
Here are some key elements of the Montreal Protocol:
- It is a global agreement aimed at protecting the ozone layer by phasing out chemicals that deplete it.
- It includes binding phase-out plans for different groups of ODS, concerning both their production and consumption.
- It also has a binding phase-down plan for the production and consumption of HFCs (even though they are not ODS).
- Developing countries, referred to as Article 5 countries, are granted more time than developed countries to meet the above targets.
- The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol helps developing countries fulfill their commitments under the Protocol. The fund is financed by developed countries, with EU Member States contributing around 50% of this funding.
- Each Party to the Protocol must implement a licensing system for the import and export of controlled substances.
- Every Party must report data annually to the Ozone Secretariat of the UNEP, which is used to used to monitor compliance with the phase-out and phase-down plans.
- An Implementation Committee reviews all cases where Parties may have failed to meet their obligations.
- A Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP) is held annually, usually preceded by an Open-ended Working Group Meeting to prepare the MOP.
- Scientific assessment panels provide analysis and input for these meetings.