The Executive Committee decided:
(a) In view of the particularly high ODP values of halons, to continue to consider the volume of funding for countries with low volumes of installed halon capacities with some degree of flexibility regarding the one-time funding of US $25,000 foreseen in the Halon Banking Guidelines. Taking into account this flexibility, to allow the submission of halon banking update projects for countries which had received less than US $50,000 for halon banking;
(b) That countries with low volumes of installed halon capacities should concentrate project activities on stakeholders workshops, training, development of import controls/bans and awareness-raising, and consider the usefulness of the creation of a regional clearing house for providing information on sources for recycled halons and on alternatives. The import controls/bans should include provisions for the allowance of imports of recycled and/or reclaimed halons;
(c) That recycling equipment should only be funded (i) if a significant volume of installed halon capacities in the country or region had been clearly established; (ii) if alternative recycling facilities in the country or region were not available in the medium and long terms, or were in poor condition; (iii) if the technical competence and economical viability of the proposed host company or institution had been demonstrated; (iv) if a network of recovery centres had or would be established, so as to ensure that the recycling equipment was used; and (v) if a regulatory framework which established periodical checks of equipment containing halons was in place;
(d) To request bilateral and implementing agencies concerned to assist the companies or institutions hosting recovery and recycling centres to review the original planning agreed by the countries and stakeholders in developing a new business plan, which should include calculations of operational costs and projections of revenues, as well as costs and modalities for transporting halon and/or equipment to and from clients. New projects should also include a detailed business plan;
(e) To request the Government of Germany, in cooperation with the countries concerned, to update the plan for the regional halon projects in West Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa within the framework of the funding approved, and taking into account recovery and recycling facilities in the countries and regions in order to realize full phase-out of virgin halon consumption while assuring the supply of recycled halons from either national or regional recovery and recycling centres, and to report upon the plan’s preparation and implementation in the progress report covering the year 2004;
(f) That countries participating in regional halon projects with recovery and recycling equipment should develop, during project preparation, a clear understanding and agreement about the use of the recovery and recycling equipment funded. This should include the processing fees and transport and storage costs, and the coverage of deficits, if they arose, as well as the lifting of any impediments to trade in recovered and recycled halons in the region, if such restrictions existed. In that context, the use of funds under the projects for temporary assistance for funding operating costs should be defined as well;
(g) To recommend that the Meetings of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol draw upon the experience of the Executive Committee in the halon sector in their consideration of the need to review the status of destruction technologies in 2005 envisaged in decision XIV/6 and in the light of decision XV/9 of the Meetings of the Parties; and
(h) To request UNEP to use fully the capacities of the recently-recruited Compliance Assistance Programme Officer for the halon sector, located in the Regional Office for West Asia, for providing interested parties with information on alternatives to halon and on regulations and standards. This should be achieved via presentations to network meetings and national stakeholder workshops, individual advice by telephone, e-mail and, if necessary, missions to selected Article 5 countries, in particular in cases of non-compliance.
(Decision 44/8)