Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/627 of 28 March 2025 establishing, pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2024/573 of the European Parliament and of the Council, minimum requirements for certificates of natural persons and the conditions for the mutual recognition of such certificates, as regards the installation, maintenance or servicing, repair or decommissioning of stationary electrical switchgear containing fluorinated greenhouse gases and recovery of fluorinated greenhouse gases from stationary electrical switchgear and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2066
Scope
1. This Regulation shall apply to natural persons carrying out the following activities:
(a)
installation, maintenance, servicing, repair and decommissioning of stationary electrical switchgear containing fluorinated greenhouse gases listed in Annex I, in Section 1 of Annex II and in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2024/573;
(b)
recovery of fluorinated greenhouse gases from stationary electrical switchgear.
2. This Regulation shall not apply to any manufacturing activity undertaken at manufacturer’s sites for stationary electrical switchgear.
Certificates for natural persons
1. Natural persons carrying out the activities referred to in Article 1(1) shall hold a certificate as referred to in Article 3.
2. Natural persons undertaking one of the activities referred to in Article 1(1) shall not be subject to the requirement laid down in paragraph 1 of this Article provided that they meet the following conditions:
(a)
they are enrolled in a training course for the purpose of obtaining a certificate covering the relevant activity; and
(b)
they carry out the activity under the supervision of a person holding a certificate covering that activity and who is fully responsible for the correct execution of the activity.
The derogation provided for in the first subparagraph shall apply for the duration of periods spent carrying out the activities referred to in Article 1(1) not exceeding 24 months in total.
Certification of natural persons
1. A certification body as referred to in Article 4 shall issue a certificate to natural persons who have passed a theoretical and practical examination organised by an evaluation body as referred to in Article 5, covering the minimum skills and knowledge set out in Annex I.
2. The certificate shall contain at least the following:
(a)
the name of the certification body, the full name of its holder, a certificate number, and the date of expiry if any;
(b)
the activities which the holder of the certificate is entitled to perform;
(c)
the issuing date and issuer’s signature.
3. Member States may allow certification bodies to exempt applicants from the requirement of passing the examination referred to in paragraph 1, where the applicant previously acquired skills and knowledge equivalent to those listed in Annex I.
Member States may allow certification bodies to require applicants only to pass a supplementary examination, where the applicant’s previously acquired skills and knowledge are partly covered under those listed in Annex I.
Certification body
1. Member States shall specify in national law or designate the authority or authorities competent to designate, a certification body authorised to issue certificates to natural persons involved in one or more of the activities referred to in Article 1(1).
The certification body shall be impartial in carrying out its activities.
2. The certification body shall establish and apply procedures for the issuance, suspending and withdrawing of certificates.
3. The certification body shall maintain records that allow verifying the status of a certified natural person. The records shall demonstrate that the certification process has been effectively fulfilled. Records shall be kept for a minimum period of 5 years.
Evaluation body
1. An evaluation body designated in each Member State shall organise examinations for the natural persons referred to in Article 1. A certification body as referred to in Article 4 may also qualify as an evaluation body. The evaluation body shall be independent and impartial in carrying out its activities.
2. Examinations shall be planned and structured in a manner which ensures that the minimum skills and knowledge set out in Annex I are covered. The evaluation body shall provide the place of examinations that ensure safety of the applicants.
3. The evaluation body shall adopt reporting procedures and keep records to enable the documentation of the individual and overall results of the evaluation.
4. The evaluation body shall ensure that examiners assigned to an examination have due knowledge of the relevant examination methods and examination documents as well as appropriate competence in the field to be examined. It shall also ensure that the necessary equipment, tools and materials are available for the practical examinations.
Conditions for mutual recognition
1. Mutual recognition of certificates between Member States shall only apply to certificates issued in accordance with Article 3, for the activities specified in these certificates.
2. Member States shall not impose any evaluation or other type of assessment procedures or disproportionate administrative requirements on holders of certificates issued by another Member State for the purpose of the recognition of those certificates or for allowing access to employment to the holders of those certificates for the activities specified therein.
3. Member States may require holders of certificates issued in another Member State to provide a translation of the certificate into another official language of the Union.
Existing certificates, refresher training courses or evaluation processes
1. Member States shall ensure that the refresher training courses or evaluation processes as required under Article 10(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 provide proof of the certified natural persons’ practical and theoretical knowledge and skills specified in Annex I of this Regulation.
2. Pursuant to Article 10(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573, Member States shall ensure that holders of existing certificates under Article 3 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2066 are only allowed to continue using those certificates if they update their knowledge and skills to the level of the knowledge and skills required for the certificate as referred to in Article 3 of this Regulation and specified in Annex I thereto.
Repeal
1. Regulation (EU) 2015/2066 is repealed.
2. References to the repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to this Regulation and read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex II.
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .
Supplementary provisions
Minimum requirements as to the skills and knowledge to be covered by the evaluation bodies
ANNEX ISupplementary provisions
ANNEX I
Minimum requirements as to the skills and knowledge to be covered by the evaluation bodies
The examination referred to in Article 5 shall comprise the following:
(a)
a theoretical test with one or more questions testing that skill or knowledge, as indicated in the column ‘Test type’ by (T);
(b)
a practical test where the applicant shall perform the corresponding task with the relevant material, tools and equipment, as indicated in the column ‘Test type’ by (P).
No
Minimum knowledge and skills
Test Type
1.
Basic understanding of the applicable EU and national legislation, in particular the F-gas Regulation. Basic knowledge of relevant environmental issues (climate change, EU climate objectives, the Paris Agreement, Kigali amendment of the Montreal Protocol, global warming potential of fluorinated greenhouse gases, impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS))
T
2.
Physical, chemical and environmental characteristics of insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures used in electrical switchgear
T
3.
Understanding the design of electrical switchgear including the different insulation and arc quenching technologies
T
4.
Gases used for insulation and arc quenching in electrical switchgear and their specific and safe handling procedures
T
5.
Testing of quality and mixing ratios of insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures according to the relevant industrial standards, detection of decomposition products and contaminations
T, P
6.
Storage and transportation of insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures
T
7.
Operation of recovery equipment for different insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures
T, P
8.
Recovery of insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures and purification/reclamation of recovered gases / gas mixtures, if applicable
T, P
9.
Working on open gas compartments
T, P
10.
Reuse and disposal of different insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures and different reuse categories
T
11.
Reduction of leakages and method of conducting leakage checks
T, P
12.
Neutralising by-products of insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures, if applicable
T
13.
Monitoring of insulation and arc quenching gases / gas mixtures, and appropriate data recording obligations under national or Union legislation, or international agreements
T
14.
Operation of gas tight drilling systems, if necessary
T, P
Correlation table
ANNEX IISupplementary provisions
ANNEX II
Correlation table
Regulation (EU) 2015/2066
This Regulation
Article 1
Article 1
Article 2(1)
Article 2(1)
Article 2(2)
Article 2(2)
Article 2(3)
Article 2(3)
Article 3(1)
Article 3(1)
Article 3(2)
Article 3(2)
Article 3(3)
—
Article 4(1)
Article 4(1)
Article 4(2)
Article 4(2)
Article 4(3)
Article 4(3)
Article 5(1)
Article 5(1)
Article 5(2)
Article 5(2)
Article 5(3)
Article 5(3)
Article 5(4)
Article 5(4)
Article 6(1)
—
Article 6(2)
—
Article 7(1)
Article 7(1)
Article 7(2)
—
Article 8
Article 8
Article 9
Article 9
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
