The European environment and climate ministers, meeting at the Council in Brussels on 18 December, discussed progress in the negotiations to establish a new voluntary European certification framework for carbon removals, which began on 29 November (see EUROPE 13303/3).
This initiative, presented by the European Commission in November 2022 (see EUROPE 13074/9), aims to create a mechanism for measuring, monitoring and certifying carbon removals. The aim is to promote the use of carbon removals and develop confidence among stakeholders, while preventing greenwashing.
The Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, who chaired the debate, opened it by emphasising the importance of a proposal that she described as “pioneering”, and for which discussions within the Council began under the Czech Presidency and continued under the Swedish and Spanish Presidencies. “We are satisfied with the establishment of a voluntary certification framework at EU level, which takes into account all the environmental parameters and the necessary transparency”, she declared.
In addition, the representatives of the EU institutions, according to Ms Ribera, have expressed a strong desire to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion with the aim of reaching an agreement before the end of the current legislature. “I am convinced that the negotiation proposal will make rapid progress (under the Belgian Presidency). So, before the end of the legislature, we will have a positive conclusion”, said the Spanish minister.
Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, stressed the importance of introducing this certification framework in order to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality. She expressed the hope that the negotiations would result in ambitious and effective certification rules, which she described as “essential to achieving our climate objectives”.
The EU Council adopted its negotiating mandate on 18 November (see EUROPE 13295/7). The proposed regulation would cover a variety of carbon removal methods, including industrial technologies and agricultural practices such as forest restoration, soil and wetland management and carbon storage in sustainable products. It also includes certification for certain agricultural activities that reduce soil emissions, provided that they improve the carbon balance.
Depending on the Member State, certified activities will have to meet four key criteria: quantification, additionality, long-term storage and sustainability, abbreviated as “QU.ALITY”. The Commission is called upon to develop specific certification methodologies for each type of activity, with adaptations by the Member States according to the specific characteristics of each activity.
The certification process would involve two stages, including an independent audit and renewal of the certificate every 5 years. The Council is also calling for the creation of an electronic register to store certification documents and make them accessible. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)