Renew Europe MEP Jeannette Baljeu has asked the European Commission to clarify how it plans to unlock final investment decisions (FIDs) along the carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) value chain, warning that without coordinated action the EU's 2030 injection capacity target will be missed. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 20 May 2026, Baljeu highlighted that FIDs remain stalled due to a chicken-and-egg problem: capture projects depend on transport and storage availability, while storage developers need firm offtake commitments.
The question references Article 23 of the Net-Zero Industry Act, which sets a binding target of 50 million tonnes of CO₂ injection capacity per year by 2030. Baljeu argues that this is a coordination challenge the market cannot resolve alone. She points to two upcoming Commission initiatives: the CO₂ Markets and Infrastructure proposal (planned for Q3 2026) and the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank (Q2 2026, with a €100 billion envelope), but notes that concrete mechanisms remain unclear.
Concrete asks and policy direction Baljeu's question contains three specific requests. First, she asks what regulatory measures the Commission will propose in the CO₂ Markets and Infrastructure proposal to ensure FIDs across the CCUS value chain, and what the timeline is. Second, she raises the risk that emitters bear continued costs under the Emissions Trading System (ETS) during value chain disruptions beyond their control, when capture is operationally unavailable — a point echoed by the Zero Emissions Platform in its January 2026 response to the EU public consultation on CO₂ markets and infrastructure. Third, she asks how the Commission will use the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, alongside other financial de-risking instruments and regulatory measures such as ETS-backed guarantees, to enable and accelerate early FIDs for CCUS projects.
The question signals a push for stronger coordination and risk-sharing mechanisms, particularly to protect emitters from ETS costs when capture infrastructure is not yet operational. It also seeks clarity on how public finance and regulatory tools will be combined to de-risk early projects.
Expected follow-up The Commission is required to respond to written parliamentary questions within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it plans to introduce binding coordination measures, financial guarantees, or liability rules to break the CCUS investment deadlock — and whether it will address the ETS cost risk for emitters facing infrastructure delays.
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