Germany’s final report on risks posed by a new car refrigerant has been forwarded to the European Commission, clearing the way for a decision on whether Berlin had sufficient cause to allow Daimler to ban it and flout EU law.

Daimler banned from its cars the air conditioning refrigerant HFO-1234yf made by Honeywell and its partner DuPont. HFO-1234yf has a far lower potential to warm the climate than an older chemical still used by Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand despite an EU-wide phase out that began in January.

The EU’s scientific research arm, JRC, is expected to analyze the report by the German federal motor transport authority, the KBA, in the next few weeks and advise whether the refrigerant is indeed flammable enough to cause material risks, as Daimler says.

HFO-1234yf is designed to fulfill an EU directive, which governs the use of harmful greenhouse gases in air-conditioning systems in cars.

“The ball is now in Brussels’ court,” a spokesman for Germany’s transport ministry said on Wednesday.

The Commission was not available for comment, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that it had received a copy of the KBA’s report, which it was now examining.

At stake is not just a potentially embarrassing infringement process against Berlin for allowing Daimler to disregard the EU’s so-called “MAC Directive” but — should it be deemed hazardous — the possible loss of billions of dollars in future revenue for Honeywell and Dupont, which have secured an effective monopoly on its supply until 2030.

In mid-October, DuPont’s President of Chemicals and Fluoroproducts, Thierry Vanlancker, called on German authorities to conclude their investigation into the safety of HFO-1234yf quickly, because the EU was still waiting on the final report by the KBA before making a decision.

The KBA said in early August the refrigerant posed no material risk to occupants even if it is more dangerous than the older alternative R134a that is being phased out to meet the MAC directive.

Honeywell said in a statement that the “overdue” final report showed HFO-1234yf could be used safely in cars but served also as a reminder that a single carmaker delayed compliance with the MAC Directive for far too long.

Also in the statement, Honeywell said the KBA’s final report “adds no new information to its preliminary report from this past August and is a reminder of how compliance with the MAC Directive has been delayed far too long by the actions of a single automaker that has decided not to comply with the rule of law.”

Daimler, which is developing an air conditioning system that uses carbon dioxide as the refrigerant, said on Wednesday that the KBA report confirmed the greater dangers the carmaker cited versus R134a.

Daimler spokesman Matthias Brock told Automotive News Europe that the automaker doesn’t want to use HFO-1234yf because it doesn’t want to “make a step back — especially in terms of safety.”

He said Daimler is “confident” it will reach its goal of having its alternative refrigerant ready by the end of 2017.