MEP Katri Kulmuni (Renew) has raised concerns over the European Commission's potential plans to integrate the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) into the post-2030 EU climate architecture, warning that such a move could create de facto regulatory obligations for forest management and biomass sustainability, contradicting the EU's simplification goals and Member States' competences in forest policy.
In a parliamentary question submitted on 29 June 2026, Kulmuni asked the Commission to justify linking a voluntary framework to future climate policy obligations, noting that the CRCF was negotiated and agreed as voluntary and has not yet been evaluated for effectiveness. She pointed to considerable uncertainty over whether the delegated acts and draft methodologies will meaningfully enhance carbon sinks or product-based carbon storage.
The MEP also pressed the Commission on how it intends to avoid imposing regulatory obligations on forest management practices and biomass sustainability through CRCF implementation, which she argued would undermine the Commission's simplification objectives and Member States' competence in forest policy. Finally, Kulmuni asked whether the Commission envisions a comprehensive reassessment of the delegated acts to ensure they are fit for purpose, proportionate, and aligned with promoting a competitive bioeconomy, including the availability of raw wood material.
The Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal the direction of future climate policy integration and its impact on forest management and the bioeconomy.