Nine certification schemes have applied for recognition under the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) certification framework, with more applications expected soon, a European Commission official said, Carbon Pulse reports. For developers and buyers of European carbon removal and carbon farming credits, the queue matters for one reason: no project can be certified under the CRCF until the Commission has recognised the scheme behind it.

Nine applicants, all under technical assessment

All nine applications are under technical assessment by the Commission, and no scheme has been recognised yet, according to CRCFProjects, which tracks the framework. Three of the nine applicants already hold a separate, voluntary quality label: Isometric, Puro.earth and Rainbow are CCP-Eligible under the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), and two more applicants have submitted for that label. A further applicant, Bneutral, applied in October 2026.

The overlap is notable. The CRCF is law, a regulation applied by certification bodies under schemes the Commission recognises, while the ICVCM is a voluntary benchmark that labels programmes and methodologies CCP-Eligible or CCP-Approved. Schemes that clear both bars would arrive in the EU market with a recognisable integrity signal already attached, which could matter for buyers screening early CRCF supply.

CRCFProjects checked the Commission’s list on 25 October 2026 and the ICVCM status on 16 October 2026.

How recognition works, step by step

The recognition process is set out on the Commission’s certification schemes page. Schemes may apply for recognition for one or more CRCF certification methodologies published in the Official Journal, and applications are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The sequence runs: submission of the completed CRCF assessment protocol and scheme documentation; an eligibility and completeness check; a technical compliance assessment against the applicable CRCF requirements; a technical compliance report marking each requirement as compliant, non-compliant or in need of clarification; an iterative clarification and revision phase; confirmation of compliance once no gaps remain; and finally a formal recognition decision. A recognition decision typically has a legal validity of five years.

One operational detail applies from day one. Schemes must also be evaluated for their suitability for accreditation by the relevant National Accreditation Body or, for schemes located in third countries, by the European Cooperation for Accreditation. That evaluation runs in parallel and feeds into the Commission’s technical compliance assessment, so applicants are expected to contact their accreditation body as soon as they apply.

The minimum requirements schemes must meet sit in Implementing Regulation 2025/2358 and in the delegated regulations setting out each certification methodology.

The framework these schemes would certify

The CRCF is Regulation (EU) 2024/3012, adopted on 27 November 2024 and in force since 26 December 2024. Taking part is voluntary, but its quality and certification rules are binding, and it applies across the EU. A Union registry is due by the end of 2028.

It defines four unit types. Permanent carbon removal units, from DACCS, BioCCS and biochar, last for centuries and do not expire. Carbon farming sequestration units, from soil and biomass, are temporary and must last at least five years. Soil emission reduction units cover avoided emissions. Carbon storage in products units must hold the carbon for at least 35 years.

The detailed rules for each activity arrive as delegated acts, which is why scheme recognition can only proceed methodology by methodology: a scheme applies against methodologies that have been published, not against the framework in the abstract.

What it means for buyers and developers

For developers, the message is sequencing. Choosing a scheme that has applied puts a project in the queue, but certification can only start after recognition, and the timeline now depends on the Commission’s technical assessment and the parallel accreditation check. The clarification and revision phase has no fixed end point, so early applicants face an open-ended exchange before any confirmation of compliance.

For buyers, the applicant list is the first map of where CRCF-certified supply could come from. Three of the nine applicants already carry the ICVCM’s CCP-Eligible label, which gives procurement teams a familiar reference point while the EU process runs. But applied is not recognised: until the Commission adopts a recognition decision, no CRCF units exist under any scheme.

What to watch

First, the first compliance reports: whether the nine applicants emerge as compliant, or enter extended clarification, will set the pace for the whole framework. Second, whether more schemes apply, as the Commission official expects. Third, the delegated acts pipeline, because each new methodology published in the Official Journal widens what recognised schemes can eventually certify.