On 30 July 2026, Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, in a written answer to a parliamentary question from Peter Agius (PPE), sought to reassure businesses that the accreditation of CBAM verifiers is progressing and that sufficient capacity will be in place ahead of the first compliance deadlines. He stressed that enabling importers to declare actual verified embedded emissions is a Commission priority, and outlined a timeline: the first verifiers should be accredited by September 2026, after which they must register in the CBAM registry, and the Commission will then publish the official list of accredited verification bodies. Hoekstra also noted that importers should ensure their third-country suppliers monitor and calculate embedded emissions in line with the CBAM Regulation.
The answer comes as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive phase on 1 January 2026, making verified emissions data mandatory for importers of covered goods. For five months, businesses have faced uncertainty about the availability of accredited verifiers, with questions over the publication and operational status of the list of accredited bodies. Hoekstra clarified that accreditation is now the responsibility of Member States' national accreditation bodies (NABs), following the adoption of implementing legislation on calculation, verification, and accreditation. According to information from NABs and the European cooperation for Accreditation (EA), accreditation is currently open in eleven Member States, with 23 EU NABs set to offer the service; third-country applicants may apply in four Member States, with seven NABs offering this option. More NABs are expected to start soon, including for third-country verifiers.
The Commission's approach reflects a balance between ensuring robust verification standards and avoiding undue disruption for importers. On one hand, the phased accreditation and publication of the list provide clarity and allow time for capacity to build. On the other hand, the timeline leaves little margin for delays: the first CBAM declarations are due by 30 September 2027, and the Commission acknowledges the need to ensure sufficient verification capacity in 2027. For importers, the immediate burden is to ensure their suppliers are prepared to monitor and calculate embedded emissions, even as the verifier landscape remains incomplete. For national accreditation bodies, the new responsibilities add administrative and resource pressures, while accredited verifiers themselves stand to gain a new market, but face the challenge of meeting demand in a tight timeframe. The Commission's regular contact with NABs and EA suggests it is monitoring the situation closely, but it has not announced interim measures if capacity falls short, leaving businesses to rely on the projected September 2026 milestone.