Industrial carbon management strategy

The adoption of the European Green Deal, the European Climate Law and the subsequent proposals to increase energy and climate targets for 2030 have made carbon management technologies an important part of the EU decarbonisation effort.

The Commission already provides a regulatory framework for the safe transport and storage of CO2 through Directive 2009/31/EC on the geological storage of carbon dioxide. As regards CCU, the technology is regulated in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, which promotes renewable fuels of non-biological origin, and among others, fuels produced from captured CO2.

In December 2021, the Commission adopted a Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles (COM/2021/800) that aims to establish sustainable and climate-resilient carbon cycles. It lists key actions to support industrial capture, use and storage of CO2, including the assessment of cross-border CO2 infrastructure deployment needs at EU, regional and national levels until 2030 and beyond. 

On 30 November 2022, the European Commission adopted a proposal (COM/2022/672) for an EU-wide voluntary framework to certify carbon removals. It will boost innovative industrial carbon removal technologies, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BioCCS) or direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS). Both these technologies can capture carbon and store it permanently in geological formations.

In November 2023, the Commission published a report providing an analysis of the response received from stakeholders and citizens to the open public consultation on the Industrial Carbon Management Strategy, which closed on 31 August 2023.

The Industrial Carbon Management strategy (COM/2024/62) was published by the Commission on 6 February 2024.

It presents a comprehensive approach for the EU to scale up carbon management.

The strategy identifies a set of actions to be taken, at EU and national level, to establish a single market for CO₂ in Europe and to create a more attractive environment for investments in industrial carbon management technologies.

For more facts, consult the fact sheet ‘Industrial carbon management: capturing, storing and using CO2 to reach our climate goals’.