Brussels, February 3rd, 2026– The European Commission has adopted the methodologies for certifying permanent carbon removals under the EU Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation. The outcomes reflect hard-fought compromises from cross-sectoral debates, which the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP) has facilitated as a neutral platform for multi-stakeholders, evidence-based dialogue.
ZEP has played a critical role in the Commission’s Carbon Removal Expert Group since its inception in 2023, by providing evidence-based input on the methodologies for direct air capture and storage (DACCS) and biogenic CO2 capture and storage (BioCCS), while emphasising the need for robust standards for biochar.
The publication of the methodologies for permanent carbon removals marks an important step forward for advancing industrial carbon management in Europe, and confirms the EU’s global leadership in carbon removal deployment.
CRCF certification for permanent carbon removal is a crucial step in building trust, especially in the absence of a compliance market. These methodologies combine rigorous, science-based accounting with some reviewable flexibility to enable early deployment and tighten standards as the market matures.
– Aymeric Amand, Policy and Research Director, ZEP
The EU now has a clear, legally grounded standard for permanent removals from DACCS, BioCCS and biochar. This is the kind of clarity investors, project developers, and industrial emitters have been asking for. The next step is to get the projects off the ground, with strong demand signals such as the planned EU CDR Buyers’ Club to scale high-integrity permanent removals across Europe.
– Eve Tamme, Chair, ZEP
Today’s announcement marks the start of the standard two-month scrutiny period for delegated acts. If no objections are raised by the European Parliament or the Council, the Delegated Regulation is expected to be published in the Official Journal of the EU in early April and will enter into force twenty days thereafter.
ZEP will continue to play an important role in the Commission’s Carbon Removal Expert Group and to support the Commission’s initiatives to advance carbon removals, particularly the establishment of the EU CDR Buyers’ Club.
For media enquiries, contact: Amélie Trémolières.
Authors
Amélie Trémolières is the Communications Manager at ZEP, where she leads the organisation’s communications strategy across institutional communications, policy communications, events, and media relations. She ensures ZEP’s work on climate policy and carbon management technologies is clearly framed, visible, and reaches the right audiences to support ZEP’s objectives.
Before joining ZEP, she worked in several European policy environments, including think tanks such as the Centre for European Policy Studies, government institutions including the French Consulate, and the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU as a digital communications trainee. She also spent two years as Communications and Events Operations Lead at a Brussels-based European association.
She has expertise in media relations, social media strategy, website management, and branding. Amélie holds an academic background in EU studies and political and public communication, is a native French speaker, and has a strong interest in climate and EU policy.