Opinions seem to be converging on the idea of simplifying the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will come fully into force in 2026. Discussions on this subject are still underway within the European Commission, but the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, has already given an outline of what to expect: a narrowing of the scope of CBAM, so as to exempt around 80% of companies.
According to the data collected to date, only small quantities of CBAM products are imported by these companies. For example, 20% of importers are responsible for 90% of imported CO2 emissions.
According to Mohammed Chahim MEP (S&D, Dutch), who was the rapporteur for the CBAM regulation, it makes sense to target these large companies first and foremost and not to overburden the others, which sometimes import just one CBAM product a year. When contacted by Agence Europe, he said he was open to the idea of making changes to CBAM that would improve efficiency while easing the burden on small businesses.
“We realised that the €150 threshold for imports was not working as expected,” he explained. CBAM has been partially in force for several months now, and requires the companies concerned to declare the emissions contained in their imports, and thus the volume of CBAM certificates they need.
Although a review of the regulations is due to start soon, it could take months or even years, according to Mohammed Chahim. In his view, it is important to act quickly on the few lessons learned over the last 18 months during the first phase of implementation.
Peter Liese (EPP, German), who was shadow rapporteur for the text, was even more in favour of rapid changes to CBAM. “ The current legislation is far too bureaucratic and therefore needs to be tidied up,” he said on Friday 7 February.
Announcements could be made as early as the end of February, when the European Commission is due to present its first ‘omnibus’ simplification initiative. According to two sources close to the matter, it is not only the scope of CBAM that could be modified, but also certain related procedures.
In particular, large companies are calling for longer payment terms for CBAM certificates. According to two sources, this request could potentially be approved by the Commission. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)