Important notice for individuals and companies certified by UK bodies to operate with Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas (F-Gas).

The Withdrawal Agreement ensures an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, it came into force upon the UK’s exit from the EU at 11pm on 31 January 2020 and will last until 11pm on 31 December 2020.

The application process for individuals to apply to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for re-certification has been extended to 31 December 2020.
If you are an individual affected by these changes and want to remain certified after the end of the transition period, you must take action as set out in this notice. If you do not make a valid application within the required time frame (i.e. procedures in advance of the conclusion of the transition period) or if you are issued your UK certificate after the end of the transition period, then you will be unable to avail of the process outlined in this notice. You will then need to be certified by a certification body within the EU-27 such as the Irish certification body QQI. This may require undertaking further training.

In the case of Companies you will need to be certified by a certification body within the EU-27 such as the Irish certification body F-Gas Registration Ltd prior to 31 December 2020.
Note if your current certificate expires prior to 31 December 2020 you will need to apply for a new certificate in advance of the expiry date.

Companies and undertakings registered in the UK with certification bodies such as Refcom and Quidos

Companies certified by a certification body in the UK may continue to enjoy the benefit of mutual recognition of that certification with the EU-27 until 11pm on 31 December 2020. Given the recurrent renewal nature of the company certification process and access to EU27 certification bodies, it has been decided not to extend the application process for companies and hence the regulations underpinning this application process expired at 11pm on 31 January 2020. Companies who wish to continue to operate within the EU-27 after 11pm on 31 December  2020 should attain certification from an EU-27 certification body. The designated company certification body in Ireland is F-Gas Registration Ltd.

Individuals who hold training certificates or attestations awarded by a certification body in the UK such as City & Guilds

Under regulations 12B and 12J of the European Union (Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas) Regulations 2016 as amended, if you hold a certificate or training attestation which was issued by a certification body in the United Kingdom before the end of the transition period, you may apply to the Environmental Protection Agency for a training certificate or attestation in respect of the activity.

To view the full notice produced by the EPA and FGR in conjunction with Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment click HERE

This is an important update from our recent post

BREXIT implications for ODS and F-Gas Refrigeration engineers