On 21 May 2025, Ecologic Institute, in collaboration with the European Commission's DG CLIMA, hosted a half-day workshop on the design of an EU purchasing programme for permanent carbon removal.

Moderated by Hugh McDonald, the event brought together a range of experts and stakeholders to discuss how a strategically designed programme can catalyse market development and scale promising carbon removal technologies. The workshop featured a presentation of Ecologic Institute’s work on CDR policy design from Jonathan Gardiner and John Tarpey.

The workshop served as a platform to share ongoing research and to gather insights from funders, buyers, and policy experts about the motivations behind carbon removal investments and the prerequisites for a successful EU initiative.

Key Takeaways

Several high-level principles emerged as priorities for the design of a short-term EU CDR purchasing programme:

• Demonstrate Good Practice: The programme should develop purchasing criteria aligned with EU policy objectives, such as delivering community benefits and respecting planetary boundaries. It has the potential to set a gold standard for others to follow.
• Function as Innovation Policy: Beyond procurement, the programme should aim to stimulate technology and market development. This includes offering complementary services that strengthen supply and mitigate risks for buyers.
• Be Catalytic: A clearly defined programme can signal strong EU commitment, attracting additional public and private capital from Member States and new buyers.

Participants also provided valuable input on technical aspects of programme design. There was a strong preference for approaches such as offtake agreements and competitive tenders in the short term.

At the same time, discussions surfaced several open questions, particularly around use cases and claims associated with carbon removal certificates. These issues extend beyond the purchasing programme itself, but are central to its integrity and long-term impact on EU climate policy.

Resources from the Workshop

As a follow-up to the event, we invite you to visit this page to find:

• Workshop Agenda
• Workshop pre-read: Perspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal, Ecologic Institute
• Workshop presentation
• Workshop recording

The workshop was co-organised by Ecologic Institute (Hugh McDonald, Jonathan Gardiner, John Tarpey, Chiara Mazzetti, and Johannes Seilnacht) and DG CLIMA with support from Ramboll.