IRISH RESPONSE ON HYDROFLUOROCARBONS DEMARCHE:

UNCLAS DUBLIN 001451

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD TRGY SENV USTR
SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE ON HYDROFLUOROCARBONS DEMARCHE:
"DON'T WORRY"

REF: STATE 199407


1. On September 29, Post delivered reftel talking points to
Patrick O'Sullivan and Nuala Bannon, Assistant Principals in
the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
O'Sullivan expressed confidence that the proposal by Austria
and Denmark to ban domestic refrigeration and air
conditioning using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS) would not be
included in the EU regulation on fluorinated gases. He noted
that Ireland was not among those Member States (which he
declined to name) that had recently lined up behind Austria
and Denmark in support of the ban. Ireland, rather, agreed
with the U.S. position that the environmental benefits of the
proposed ban would be marginal, with effective recycling and
recovery measures already in place in Europe. O'Sullivan
said that Member States supporting the ban would be unable to
carry a qualified majority in the vote to be taken on the EU
regulation in the European Council on October 14. He added
that the GOI was interested in reaching a political agreement
quickly on the EU regulation, especially as Ireland's EU
presidency had not yielded progress on the issue.
KENNY