No direct role for international credits in the EU ETS

A high-level stakeholder roundtable on the EU ETS review confirmed that the Commission does not foresee “direct purchasing of credits by ETS operators.” International credits may create additional emissions space within the wider EU climate framework, but they will not be integrated directly into the EU ETS in the way they were in earlier ETS phases. The Commission also addressed the role of domestic permanent carbon removals inside the system. It is considering three options for integrating removals into the EU ETS: central public purchasing, direct purchasing by operators, and a one-in, one-out mechanism.