The European Commission has announced a tender for the creation of a Common central Platform that will manage the sale and repurchase of certificates within the framework of the EU Carbon Boundary Regulation Mechanism, and the system is expected to become operational by February 2027.
The tender, announced by the European Commission's Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union at the end of February, will last until March 20, 2026.
"By August 31, 2026, the contractor must develop a preliminary version of the CCP, which includes all the basic functionality necessary to support sales, repurchase and reconciliation operations, and is ready for testing," the Commission's tender says.
This marks a key step in the implementation of the EU CBAM, which requires importers of carbon-intensive goods to purchase certificates that match the emissions contained in products entering the EU. This mechanism aims to prevent carbon leakage by ensuring that imported goods cost the same as those produced in the EU, potentially affecting trade flows of iron and steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen.
The EU CBAM began its final phase on January 1, 2026, but importers will only be able to purchase CBAM certificates from February 2027 to cover the emissions associated with their imports for 2026, giving businesses more time to adapt to this carbon pricing mechanism.
According to the Commission's statement, the common central platform will serve as a centralized system for managing transactions with CBAM certificates, making both initial sales to importers and potential reverse purchases.
The goal of CBAM is to create a level playing field for EU companies, since in most exporting countries the price of carbon emissions is either not as high as in the EU emissions trading system, or has no price for emissions at all.
Permits for carbon dioxide emissions in Europe are currently about seven times more expensive than in China, the world's largest industrial center.
On February 17, the Platts agency, part of S&P Global Energy, estimated the EU quotas for December 2026 at 70.21 euros per ton of CO2e (83.09 US dollars per ton of CO2e). This compares with China's emissions quotas, which were estimated at 76.14 yuan per tonne of CO2e ($10.94/MtCO2e) on February 6, according to the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange.
Author: Eklavya Gupte
