In order to provide clear standards for carbon removal technologies and facilitate certification and investment in projects that permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere, the European Commission announced today the adoption of its first set of voluntary certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals.
The new standards come after the Carbon Farming and Carbon Removals (CRCF) Regulation was adopted in 2024. The Commission first proposed the first EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products in 2022. The purpose of the regulation was to create a certification system to quantify, monitor, and verify carbon removals and to combat greenwashing.
Direct Air Capture with Carbon Storage (DACCS), Biogenic Emissions Capture with Carbon Storage (BioCCS), and Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) are the three categories of carbon removal activities covered by the new regulations. According to the Commission, the first three technologies were chosen because of their potential to support EU climate goals and their level of technological maturity.
The new approaches set voluntary guidelines for carbon removals, such as what constitutes a tonne of removal, how permanence must be guaranteed, and how the main risks—such as liabilities and leakages—are handled.
The European Parliament and Council will review the new delegated regulation for two months. If there are no extensions or objections, it will be published in the EU's Official Journal in early April and go into effect twenty days later.
The Commission further stated that it is in the process of completing two more delegated regulations for certification methodologies, which are anticipated to be adopted this year. These regulations include carbon farming methodologies for activities like agriculture and agroforestry, peatland rewetting and afforestation, and carbon storage in bio-based construction products.
