Overview
The Ozone Regulation protects the ozone layer that shields life from harmful ultraviolet radiation. It restricts the chemicals that thin that layer, building on decades of international action to repair the damage already done.
The core targets are ozone-depleting substances, gases like CFCs, HCFCs and halons that drift up to the stratosphere and break ozone apart. Most are now phased out, with the regulation managing the few remaining uses and any leftover stocks.
What it controls
From treaty to law
The Montreal Protocol is the global agreement that committed countries to phase out these substances. The EU regulation puts that commitment into binding European law and often tightens it, closing uses and stocks faster than the minimum the treaty sets.
Ozone protection sits next to climate protection but is a separate job. The gases that replaced many ozone-depleting substances are themselves strong warming agents, which is why the F-Gas Regulation now phases those replacements down in turn.
Note: general educational information, not legal advice. Check the official source before relying on it.