The CRCF project directory.

The Commission had said the three carbon farming methodologies would enter into force in the third quarter of 2026. That quarter has closed. Checked on 2 October 2026, the DG CLIMA methodologies page still reads: once the Delegated Regulation enters into force, certification schemes will be able to apply for recognition of compliance with these methodologies. The Delegated Regulation for mineral soils, peatland rewetting and afforestation was adopted on 10 July 2026 and has since been in scrutiny by Parliament and Council, which is followed by publication in the Official Journal and entry into force twenty days later.

At its first public Buyers' Club webinar, DG CLIMA put numbers and dates on several threads at once. The 2026 pilot aims to make and announce purchases from two to five projects by year end, all permanent removals certified under the CRCF. A Commission proposal on national climate targets is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 and would set separate national targets for emission reductions and for carbon removals. And the Commission has started work on guidance for buyers on how CRCF units may be used and what may be claimed, covering neutralisation at the net-zero point, ongoing emissions responsibility, and value-chain reporting under scope 3, with a draft in December 2026 and the final version in March 2027. In its own survey of 56 buyers, that guidance was the single most requested form of support, and 58 percent named regulatory uncertainty and reputational risk as the first barrier to investing.

Three further schemes applied for recognition under the CRCF in August 2026: SURE-CRCF, Carbon Standards International and ClimatePal EU. They join Isometric, Puro.earth, Rainbow Standard, Oncra Certifications and Planet First Registry, which applied in June and July. The Commission assesses each against Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2358 and the approved CRCF methodologies. Its own page lists all eight as in progress and records no formal recognition decision so far.