EU adopts first legislation towards the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) regulation

The European Commission has taken the first concrete step towards operationalizing the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation, adopting a piece of legislation that paves the way for future development.

The Commission has adopted the Implementation Regulation, which sets clear roles, responsibilities, and rules around the certification of carbon removals and carbon farming units, underscoring the importance of transparency and credibility for these operations. 

In November 2024, the European Parliament and Council established Regulation (EU) 2024/3012, which introduced the certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products within the EU. 

With the newly released Implementation Regulation, the EU Commission lays out the requirements for the certification schemes, certification bodies, and audits applicable to Regulation (EU) 2024/3012, stressing the need for a harmonious functioning of these three vital elements and a strong legal certainty to ensure credibility and minimize fraud risk. 

The rules provided in the implementing requirements are not exhaustive but rather provide the basic foundation that can be complemented by certification schemes. 

The Implementation Regulation calls for standardized certification documentation, high integrity standards, and mandatory public consultation of relevant stakeholders, along with internal monitoring, handling of complaints, and documentation management that would cover manuals, internal policies, or definition of responsibilities.

While operators will have the possibility to participate in other certification schemes besides the CRCF, the Implementation Regulation lays out the need for rules that would prevent “scheme hopping,” where an operator who failed certification under one scheme immediately applies for certification under another scheme.

This and other specific details and descriptions of the document can be found here. In early 2026, the EU Commission will launch a call for certification schemes, which will be evaluated against the Implementation Regulation criteria. 

In the future, the certification schemes will be assessed against the methodologies provided in the Delegated Acts, with two Delegated Acts expected next year on carbon removals such as Direct Air Capture With Carbon Storage (DACCS), Biogenic Emissions Capture with Carbon Storage (BioCSS), and Biochar Carbon Removal, and farming methodologies including sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, peatland rewetting, and afforestation.

The certification schemes that successfully pass all requirements will receive a five-year recognition decision from the European Commission. 

source: carbon herald