EU Reaches Deal on Carbon Removals Certification Framework

The Council of the EU and European Parliament negotiators have reached a provisional political agreement on a regulation to establish the first EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products. The voluntary framework is intended to facilitate and speed up the deployment of high-quality carbon removal and soil emission reduction activities in the EU.

Once entered into force, the regulation will be the first step towards introducing a comprehensive carbon removal and soil emission reduction framework in EU legislation and contribute to the EU’s ambitious goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050, as set out in the European climate law.

The regulation will include an open definition of carbon removals, in line with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and which only covers atmospheric or biogenic carbon removals. It will cover the following carbon removal and emission reduction activities and differentiate between four corresponding types of units:

• permanent carbon removal (storing atmospheric or biogenic carbon for several centuries)
• temporary carbon storage in long-lasting products (such as wood-based construction products) of a duration of at least 35 years and that can be monitored on-site during the entire monitoring period
• temporary carbon storage from carbon farming (e.g. restoring forests and soil, wetland management, seagrass meadows)
• soil emission reduction (from carbon farming)

The deal is provisional, pending formal adoption by both institutions.