Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 includes obligations concerning the certification of companies and natural persons. In contrast to Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the equipment covered also includes, with regard to the certification of natural persons, refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers. Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 also includes requirements for the content of the certification programmes, containing information on relevant technologies to replace or to reduce the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases and on the safe handling of those technologies.

It is therefore necessary for the purposes of the application of Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 to update the minimum requirements as to the scope of activities as well as the skills and knowledge to be covered, specifying the modalities of the certification and the conditions for mutual recognition.

To take existing qualification and certification schemes into account, in particular those that have been adopted on the basis of Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 which has since been repealed, and the requirements laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 303/2008, those requirements should be incorporated into this Regulation to the extent possible.

Regulation (EC) No 303/2008 should therefore be repealed.

In order for the Member States to have time to adapt their certification programmes for natural persons to cover activities related to refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers, it is appropriate that the requirement to hold a certificate in accordance with this Regulation should apply as of 1 July 2017 with regards to activities related to refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 24 of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014,