The EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework.
A plain-language overview for buyers, built from primary sources.
What CRCF is
CRCF is the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework, Regulation (EU) 2024/3012. It is a voluntary EU-wide framework that sets quality and certification rules for carbon removals and carbon farming. It entered into force on 26 December 2024. The detailed rules per activity come as delegated acts.
How a methodology becomes law
Each methodology runs through the same path:
- Expert group draft
- Public consultation
- Opinion
- Adoption by the Commission as a delegated act
- Two months scrutiny by Parliament and Council
- Publication in the Official Journal
- Entry into force 20 days later
Where each method stands As of June 2026
A live tracker of where each CRCF method sits, from early exploration to in force. This changes fast, so the date shows how current it is. Movements land on the feed.
The four CRCF unit types
- Permanent carbon removal units, from DACCS, BioCCS and biochar, lasting centuries, do not expire.
- Carbon farming sequestration units, from soil and biomass, temporary, at least 5 years.
- Soil emission reduction units.
- Carbon storage in products units, at least 35 years.
The compliance question
We keep this strictly separated, because it is the easiest thing to overstate.
Decided: The 2040 climate law (Council decision 5 March 2026) sets a binding 90 percent net reduction by 2040 and gives a directional role to domestic permanent removals under the ETS. The operative mechanism is not yet legislated.
Report: Under the ETS Directive, the Commission must report by 31 July 2026 on how permanent removals could be accounted for in the EU ETS. That is a reporting obligation, not an adopted mechanism.
In discussion: Linking CRCF units to the EUA price, a separate Union target for permanent removals, and a possible future CRCF facility. None of these is decided.
Bottom line: there is no adopted compliance demand for CRCF units today.
Key dates
- 27 November 2024, CRCF adopted. 26 December 2024, in force.
- November 2025, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2358.
- 3 February 2026, first delegated act. 7 May 2026, in force.
- 31 July 2026, ETS report.
- Summer 2026, carbon farming act expected. Q4 2026, products act expected.
- End of 2026 into 2027, first certified units.
- 27 December 2028, EU Union Registry.
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