The ETS needs removals to work

Carbon removals in the ETS can support both European industry and the climate. But this will only work if their integration is done correctly.

Our Checklist for Success

The Negative Emissions Platform has devised 3 principles and 7 actions - it’s the checklist for a successful integration of carbon removals into the ETS

Checklist for success

"Once a robust certification framework is in place, integrating permanent removals into the EU Emissions Trading System will help balance reductions and removals in a cost-effective way"

Prof. Ottmar Edenhofer, European Scientific Advisory Board for Climate Change
"Negative emissions are a cornerstone of making it to net zero"

Wokpe Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
"(The post-2030 ETS) should provide further space for hard-to-abate emissions by allowing the use of industrial carbon removals"

Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President – (letter to 27 Heads of State, 20/10/25)
"Removals will be increasingly needed to reach net-zero and to ensure long-term viability of the EU ETS …. Permanent technological removals will be crucial to address hard-to abate emissions"

Business Europe
"carbon removal (…) offers sensible potential to add value if those carbon removal certificates have a market value. The incorporation of carbon removal within the emission trading system, or any other organised system, should be accelerated to give perspectives to investors."

European Roundtable for Industry
"To reach climate neutrality we need to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we also need to remove carbon from the atmosphere."

Frans Timmermans, former Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal

Mainstreaming carbon removals in EU law

Emissions Trading System

The EU should integrate permanent carbon dioxide removals into the ETS through a phased approach that builds long-term demand and revenue certainty while preserving the system’s environmental integrity. This would start with public funding and intermediary-led procurement, followed by the gradual inclusion of certified permanent removals without increasing the ETS cap. It should also be backed by separate CDR targets in EU climate law, alignment with the CRCF, and strong safeguards so that only high-integrity, permanent removals are eligible.

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EU Climate Law

The EU Climate Law should be strengthened to support both climate neutrality by 2050 and the growth of a competitive permanent carbon dioxide removal industry. This means setting a 90% net emissions reduction target for 2040, alongside separate targets for gross emissions reductions, permanent CDR and LULUCF, backed by a broader support package beyond ETS integration. It should also include strong safeguards for any international credits and support a portfolio of permanent CDR methods aligned with the CRCF to ensure consistency across EU policies.
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Green Claims Directive

The Green Claims Directive proposed by the European Commission is crucial for combating greenwashing and promoting investment in permanent carbon removal. This directive would require companies to substantiate and communicate their environmental claims, including guidelines on using carbon credits.

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Making a short-term EU purchasing programme work for permanent CDR

The EU should scale permanent carbon dioxide removal by 2030 through near-term support such as an EU Buyers’ Club, results-based payments for CRCF-verified removals, and a predictable pathway starting with a €1 billion pilot in 2026 and scaling later through the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank. To strengthen competitiveness, jobs and climate goals, it should also make CDR visible in the European Competitiveness Fund, support large-scale R&D through FP10, and secure long-term funding as negotiations move forward.

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CDR in the Multiannual Financial Budget

The EU budget will help decide which net-zero technologies scale in Europe, but carbon dioxide removal is still not clearly included in funding priorities. To protect competitiveness, jobs and climate goals, the EU should make CDR eligible in key funding instruments, support large-scale R&D through FP10, and secure long-term funding as negotiations move forward.

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