On 30 November 2022, the Commission proposed an EU carbon removal certification framework (CRCF). The proposed framework could undermine the environmental integrity of EU climate policies. This risk is aggravated by the fact that the EU has not agreed on the role of removals for the time past the year 2030.

This report assesses the Commission’s proposal for the CRCF and discusses interlinkages of the CRCF with other pieces of EU climate law. The report provides an overview of the proposal’s main elements and assesses them. Criteria for assessment include (1) whether the proposal strengthens EU climate policies, (2) whether it safeguards the integrity of climate policies, (3) whether it contributes to strong environmental policies and (4) whether it takes account of other aspects relevant for the uptake of carbon removals, such as energy consumption, cost saving, and innovations.