The Republic of North Macedonia has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, becoming the 93rd country, plus the European Union, to ratify the global agreement to cut HFC emissions.
The country’s ratification was received by the United Nations on March 12. It becomes only the third country to ratify the Kigali Amendment in 2020 with Mozambique having ratified on January 16, and Lebanon on February 5.
North Macedonia is a Balkan nation, which gained its independence in 1991, having formerly been part of Yugoslavia. It is part of the Article 5 (developing countries) Group 1, which are required to freeze HFC production and use in 2024, with an 80% reduction by 2045.
North Macedonia is not a member of the European Union, but has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005, and is one of five current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was enacted by 197 countries and the EU on October 15, 2016. It entered into force on January 1, 2019. Its goal is to achieve at least an 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047.
Fully implemented, the amendment would avoid up to 0.4°C (0.7°F) increase in the global temperature by the end of the century, according to UN estimates.