AREA played a central role at ATMOsphere Europe 2025, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to strengthening technician competence, promoting safe practices and supporting the transition toward natural and low-GWP refrigerants. The conference, held over two days in Padua, offered a timely platform to address the regulatory and technical challenges emerging from the new EU F-Gas Regulation and the rapid expansion of alternative refrigerants across the continent.
Marco Buoni, representing AREA and the Centro Studi Galileo, was a key contributor throughout the event. As moderator of the dedicated session on skills, training and certification, he outlined the uneven pace at which EU Member States are implementing mandatory training requirements for natural refrigerants. His intervention highlighted the importance of harmonised, high-quality certification frameworks to ensure that technicians can work safely and confidently with flammable and high-pressure refrigerants, particularly propane and CO₂. The strong engagement from the audience underscored how central technician competence has become to the success of Europe’s refrigerant transition.
Buoni also emphasised the value of established best-practice resources, including the guidebook Propane, Naturally Safe, which he referenced as an important tool for technicians and training centres navigating new safety requirements. His contribution framed a recurring theme at ATMOsphere Europe: effective training begins with solid technical knowledge, and certification provides the foundation for scaling innovation safely.
The session featured insights from leading industry experts. Miriam Solana Ciprés (CAREL) presented collaborative training initiatives such as SKILLSAFE-EU, focused on the safe design and handling of R290 heat pumps. Mirko Bernabei (SCM Frigo) discussed structured CO₂ training programmes available across the Beijer Ref network, while Francesco Mastrapasqua (Epta Group) illustrated how manufacturers can contribute to technician education by supporting training centres with equipment, materials and staff preparation.
Across all discussions, a consistent message emerged: Europe’s transition to natural refrigerants will succeed only if technicians are empowered with the right knowledge, skills and certifications. Through its continued leadership at ATMOsphere and its work across the HVAC/R community, AREA remains a pivotal force in shaping that future.