Policy Coherence of the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework: Integration of Carbon Farming in Climate and Agricultural Policy

Abstract Adoption of the “Regulation (EU) 2024/3012 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Union certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage in products” represents a significant policy shift, introducing a voluntary, harmonised EU certification framework. This study assesses the policy coherence of the CRCF Regulation and related EU regulatory and policy documents, examining how the certification framework for carbon removals, including carbon farming, is integrated into the EU’ broader climate and agricultural policy landscape. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on 31 EU documents, which were selected using snowballing sampling approach and nine search terms related to carbon removals, soil emissions and carbon farming. The identified text fragments were coded and grouped into nine thematic groups and qualitatively analysed to assess whether they reflect horizontal and vertical policy coherence or, indicate gaps and ambiguities. The results highlight a high degree of horizontal coherence with key EU documents, including the EU’s Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation and the Common Agricultural Policy. However, several gaps and ambiguities remain, particularly regarding baseline methodologies, potential overlaps in funding mechanisms, and practical implementation pathways. These findings underscore the need for stronger vertical integration and methodological clarity to ensure that certified activities effectively support EU climate goals.