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.
Aymeric Amand is Policy and Research Director at ZEP. He advises EU institutions and national authorities on industrial carbon management – covering the technical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of CO₂ capture, transport, storage, and utilisation, as well as of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods. He oversees ZEP’s analytical and policy outputs and represents ZEP in technical forums, including Commission Expert Groups. His expertise spans EU climate and industrial policy, carbon pricing, CDR governance, and EU funding instruments.
Aymeric also ensures feedback from industry, academia and civil society is reflected fairly in EU policy design. He helps build fair, workable compromises by weighing options against scientific evidence, project experience, regulatory requirements, and public-acceptance considerations. He promotes knowledge sharing and contributes to defining European R&I priorities for industrial carbon management. Trained in climate science, geography, and EU political science, he applies data analysis and GIS tools to quantify options and inform policy choices. He works in English and French.
Eadbhard is the Secretary General of the Zero Emissions Platform. In this role, he oversees the management of the secretariat team and the health of the organisation. Eadbhard has a background in energy and climate law and has worked to advance carbon management as a climate mitigation tool in Europe for several years, previously leading the European policy work at the climate NGO, Clean Air Task Force. Originally from Ireland, Eadbhard is half-Dutch and can be contacted in English, German, possibly Dutch and maybe even French if he ever bothers to learn it.