Press Release: Free movement of goods: Commission seeks information on extensive product bans from Denmark and Austria

The European Commission decided on 27 October 2004 to send formal requests for information to Denmark and Austria concerning their far-reaching bans on hydrofluorocarbons ('HFCs') and perfluorocarbons ('PFCs'). By seeking this information, the Commission intended to respect its duty of striking the right balance between the need of achieving the environmental protection objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol and the need of avoiding undue disruptions in the free movement of goods at EU level.