EU Negotiations Reach a Provisional Deal on Carbon Removal Certification Framework

On February 20, 2024, European Union (EU) legislators reached a provisional political agreement on a regulatory framework for the certification of carbon dioxide removals (CDR). CDR encompasses a wide range of nature- and technology-based activities that permanently or temporarily remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While CDR is a part of the EU’s plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, it has not yet been incorporated into many of the EU’s climate policy vehicles, such as its Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) paves the way for the EU to incorporate CDR into its climate policies in practice, and to eventually establish a registry allowing a market-based trading of CDR “units.”