Activities of Lídia PEREIRA related to 2022/0394(COD)
Plenary speeches (3)
Union certification framework for carbon removals
Union certification framework for carbon removals
Union certification framework for carbon removals (A9-0329/2023 - Lídia Pereira) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Union certification framework for carbon removals
Amendments (22)
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The aim of this Regulation is to develop a voluntary Union certification framework for carbon removals, with the view to incentivise the uptake of high- quality, long term carbon removals, in full respect of the biodiversity and the zero- pollution objectives. It is a tool to support the achievement of the Union objectives under the Paris Agreement, notably the goal of collective climate neutrality by 2050 laid down in Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council24 . The Union also committed to generate negative emissions after 2050. An important instrument to enhance carbon removals in terrestrial ecosystems is Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council25 , which is currently under review. The objective of the review is to set out a Union net removals target of 310 Mt CO2 eq by 2030, and to allocate respective targets to each Member State, which shall be defined taking into consideration regional authorities, when relevant. __________________ 24 Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (‘European Climate Law’) (OJ L 243, 9.7.2021, p. 1). 25 Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry in the 2030 climate and energy framework, and amending Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 and Decision No 529/2013/EU (OJ L 156, 19.6.2018, p. 1).
Amendment 137 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) In order to support operators willing to make additional efforts to increase carbon removals in a sustainable way, the Union certification framework should take into account the different types of carbon removal activities, their specificities and related environmental and socio-economic impacts. Therefore, this Regulation should provide clear definitions of carbon removal, carbon removal activities, and other elements of the Union certification framework.
Amendment 225 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15 a (new)
Recital 15 a (new)
(15a) Carbon removal activities should not contribute to an increase of land prices or reduced accessibility of farmers to land. Land speculation should be avoided. Farmers should receive remuneration for their activities based on the management practices they are carrying out.
Amendment 232 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) Farming practices that remove CO2 from the atmosphere contribute to the climate neutrality objective and should be rewarded, either viacombining the goals and incentives in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) or otherwith new public or private initiatives and tools that may enhance carbon removal activities. Specifically, this Regulation should take into account farming practices as referenced in the Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles30 . __________________ 30 Communication from the Commission, Sustainable Carbon Cycles, COM (20221) 800.
Amendment 242 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17 a (new)
Recital 17 a (new)
(17a) The methodologies on carbon farming should recognise the farmer’s different starting points and potential to store carbon. Farmers and land managers who have already applied beneficial management practices contributing to carbon removal in the past should not be disadvantaged by a framework for carbon removal certification.
Amendment 248 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) It is appropriate to develop detailed certification methodologies for the different carbon removal activities in order to apply, in a standardised, verifiable and comparable way, the quality criteria laid down in this Regulation. Those methodologies should ensure the robust and transparent certification of the net carbon removal benefit generated by the carbon removal activity, while avoiding mainly disproportionate and demotivating administrative burden for operators or group of operators, in particular for small farmers and forest holders. To this end, the Commission should be empowered to supplement this Regulation by adopting delegated acts establishing detailed certification methodologies for the different carbon removal activities. Those methodologies should be developed in close consultation with the Expert Group on Carbon Removals and all other interested actors. They need to be based on the best available scientific evidence, build upon existing public and private schemes and methodologies for carbon removal certification, and take into account any relevant standard and rules adopted at national and Union level.
Amendment 255 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) Providing land managers with improved knowledge, tools and methods for a better assessment and optimisation of the carbon removals is key for cost- efficient implementation of mitigation actions and for securing their engagement in carbon farming. This is particularly relevant for Union small farmers or forest holders that often lack the know-how and the expertise required to implement carbon removal activities and to comply with the required quality criteria and related certification methodologies. Therefore, it is appropriate to requiresupport, with due orientation and resources, that producer organisations facilitate the provision of relevant advisory services through technical advice to their members. The Common Agricultural Policy and national State aid can support financially, along with other financial tools, can support not only the carbon removal activities, but also connected activities, such as the provision of advisory services, knowledge exchange, training, information actions or interactive innovation projects with farmers and foresters.
Amendment 267 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) It is appropriate that carbon removal certificates underpin different end- uses, such as the compilation of national, regional and corporate greenhouse gas inventories, including with regard to Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council31 , the proof of climate- related and other environmental corporate claims (including on biodiversity), or the exchange of verified carbon removal units through voluntary carbon offsetting markets. To this end, the certificate should contain accurate and transparent information on the carbon removal activity, including the total removals and net carbon removal benefit that comply with the quality criteria set out in this Regulation. The Commission should be also empowered to adopt delegated acts to further specify or amend Annex II which lists the minimum information to be contained in the certificates. __________________ 31 Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry in the 2030 climate and energy framework, and amending Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 and Decision No 529/2013/EU (OJ L 156, 19.6.2018, p. 1).
Amendment 276 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) To ensure an accurate, robust and transparent verification, certification bodies responsible for performing the certification of carbon removal activities should have the required competences and skills and should be accredited by national accreditation authorities pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council32 . To avoid possible conflicts of interest, the certification bodies should also be completely independent from the operator carrying out the carbon removal activity that is subject to the certification. In addition, Member States, as well as regional authorities when relevant, should contribute towards ensuring the correct implementation of the certification process by supervising the operation of certification bodies that are accredited by national accreditation authorities, and by informing the certification schemes about relevant non-conformity findings. __________________ 32 Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 339/93 (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 30).
Amendment 283 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) Certification schemes should be used by operators to demonstrate compliance with this Regulation. Therefore, certification schemes should operate on the basis of reliable and transparent rules and procedures and should ensure accuracy, reliability, integrity and non-repudiation of origin, and protection against fraud of information and of data submitted by operators. They should also ensure the correct accounting of the verified carbon removal units, notably by avoiding double counting. To this end, the Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing acts, including adequate standards of reliability, transparency, accounting and of independent auditing to be applied by certification schemes, so as to ensure the necessary legal certainty as regards the rules applicable to operators and to certification schemes. To ensure a cost- effective certification process, those technical harmonised rules on certification should also have the objective of reducing unnecessary and demotivating administrative burden for operators, or group of operators, in particular for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including small farmers and foresters.
Amendment 320 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. The objective of this Regulation is to facilitatincentivise the deployment of carbon removals by operators or groups of operators. To that end, this Regulation establishes a voluntary Union framework for the certification of carbon removals by laying down:
Amendment 645 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
(fa) balance between the environment, economic impact and the social context of local communities.
Amendment 659 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1, a carbon removal activity shall comply with minimum sustainability requirements laid down in the certification methodologies, set out in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 8. Those minimum sustainability requirements shall, as appropriate, and taking into consideration local conditions, consistent with the technical screening criteria for the ‘do no significant harm’ principle concerning forestry activities and underground permanent geological storage of CO2, laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139, and on the sustainability criteria for forest and agriculture biomass raw material laid down in Article 29 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001.
Amendment 696 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The technical certification methodologies shall ensure that the administrative burden on land managers is minimal.
Amendment 723 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 a (new)
Article 8 a (new)
Article 8a Consistency with other legislation The rules and criteria on the use of carbon removal units for corporate climate-related and other environmental claims, including claims about offsets, climate neutrality or similar, shall be regulated in Directive ... [Green Claims], including when traded through voluntary carbon markets. The rules and criteria on the use of carbon removal units for the compilation of corporate greenhouse gas inventories are regulated in the [Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive]. The possible future use of carbon removal units towards the compliance with Union and national greenhouse gas targets shall be assessed in the context of the relevant review clauses included in Art. 17(3) of the LULUCF Regulation, Art.30(4a)(a) ETS Directive, and in the Union-wide post- 2030 intermediate climate targets to be set in accordance with the European Climate Law.
Amendment 737 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – paragraph 1
1. To apply for a certification of compliance with this Regulation, an operator or a group of operators shall submit an application to a certification scheme. Upon acceptance of that application, the operator or a group of operators shall submit to a certification body a comprehensive description of the carbon removal activity, including the certification methodology applied to assess compliance with Articles 4 to 7, the expected total carbon removals and net carbon removal benefit. Groups of operators shall also specify how advisory services on carbon removal activities are provided, in particular to small-scale carbon farming operators. For operators or groups of operators involved in cross- border and/or multi-country carbon farming projects, allowing the certification scheme to appoint a single certification body for all cross-border and multi-country carbon farming projects.
Amendment 757 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 4
Article 9 – paragraph 4
4. The operator or a group of operators shall support the certification body during certification and re- certification audits, notably by giving access to the activity premises and providing relevanty data and documentation, safeguarding sensitive and confidential information.
Amendment 779 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 4
Article 10 – paragraph 4
4. Member States, and regional authorities when applicable, shall supervise the operation of certification bodies. Certification bodies shall submit, upon request by the national or, when applicable, regional competent authorities, all relevant information necessary to supervise their operation, including date, time and location of the audits referred to in Article 9. Where Member States, and when applicable, regional authorities, find issues of non- conformity, they shall inform the certification body and the relevant certification scheme thereof without delay.
Amendment 800 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 4
Article 11 – paragraph 4
4. Certification schemes shall publish, at least annually, a list of the appointed certification bodies, stating for each certification body by which entity or national or regional public authority it was recognised and which entity or national or regional public authority is monitoring it.
Amendment 833 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 2
Article 13 – paragraph 2
2. A Member State, and when relevant, the regional authorities, shall notify to the Commission the application for recognition of the public certification scheme. The legal representative of a private certification scheme shall notify to the Commission the application for recognition of the private certification scheme.
Amendment 838 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 3
Article 13 – paragraph 3
3. The Commission may repeal a decision recognising a certification scheme pursuant to paragraph 1 where the certification scheme fails to implement the standards and rules set out in the implementing acts referred to in Article 11(5). Where a Member State or region raises concerns that a certification scheme does not operate in accordance with the standards and rules set out in the implementing acts referred to in Article 11(5) that constitute the basis for decisions under paragraph 1, the Commission shall investigate the matter and take appropriate action, including repealing the relevant decision.
Amendment 871 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 18 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council within 6 months of a global agreement on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement or by 31 December 2025, whichever date comes first, to analyse any potential linkages between the Union framework and other voluntary carbon markets and frameworks outside the Union.