On April 16, 2025, a delegation from Centro Studi Galileo (CSG) and the Associazione dei Tecnici del Freddo (ATF) held key institutional meetings in Paris with UNEP OzonAction and the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR).
The CSG and ATF team, including Marco Buoni (CEO of CSG, ATF Secretary, and former AREA President, currently focused on International Affairs), Silvia Romanò (Chief International Affairs), and Luisa Girolami (Project Coordinator), met with Jim Curlin (Principal Programme Management, Law Division - DELC) and Sonja Wagner (Programme Management Office) at UNEP OzonAction headquarters. Discussions reinforced ongoing collaborations, finalized the special "Women in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning" session for the XXI European Conference, and launched a related video contest aimed at highlighting women in the sector. The team also reviewed the conference abstracts and program structure. Progress on the UNEP-AREA training manual was discussed, with mutual interest confirmed for new joint technical training opportunities with ATF in 2025.
In the afternoon, the delegation met with Yosr Allouche (Director General of the IIR) and Nathalie de Grissac (Head of Communications) at the IIR headquarters. The meeting focused on refining the XXI European Conference agenda, discussing the sequence of presentations, key speakers, and the potential involvement of IIR in a side event during the OEWG 47 session in Bangkok (July 7–11, 2025). The side event, organized in collaboration with IGSD, will concentrate on "International Training Standards."
"These meetings in Paris solidify our role in promoting international technical cooperation in the HVAC/R sector," said Marco Buoni, CEO of Centro Studi Galileo and Secretary of ATF.
The outcomes of these strategic meetings will be officially presented at the XXI European Conference on the HVAC/R sector, scheduled for June 12–13, 2025, in Milan, gathering global experts to address emerging technologies, ecological transition policies, and sector challenges.