UK
  • The CCSA held the third edition of its annual EU Conference on 30 June in Brussels, gathering more than 250 delegates  
  • The agenda featured important topics for the development of a strong CCUS industry in Europe, ranging from cross-border cooperation to a pragmatic approach to the construction of a CO2 transportation network  
  • A geographical focus on emerging regions, strategic for the deployment of CCUS technologies across Europe – including the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and the North Sea – were covered during the one-day conference  

Brussels, 1 July — On 30 June, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA)  hosted its third annual EU Conference in Brussels on 30 June, convening more than 250 stakeholders from across the CCUS value chain, including policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society. The event reinforced the growing role of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in decarbonising European industry, strengthening competitiveness, and delivering the EU’s climate goals. 

Opening the Conference, Olivia Powis, CEO, CCSA, said:  

“Projects are moving, industry is ready and the need is undeniable. Confronted with the evidence that climate breakdown is heating up Europe faster than any other continent, industry leaders, policymakers and investors all agreed at the CCSA EU Conference 2026, that the focus must now be on delivery.  

Across the continent, we are seeing projects move from development to construction and operation, but there must be a coordinated approach to funding mechanisms and forward-looking regulatory frameworks to create investable markets and turn individual and fragmented projects into an integrated European CCUS market at scale.” 

The conference opened with a high-level panel on scaling CCUS in Europe, featuring MEP Jeannette Baljeu (Renew, NL), MEP Niels Flemming Hansen, Marc van der Linden (Gasunie), Alistair Tucker (Shell), and Roze Wesby (Holcim). Speakers agreed that Europe has a unique opportunity to lead globally on CCUS, but success will depend on stronger cross-border cooperation, a stable and predictable policy framework, improved public understanding, and long-term clarity on the EU ETS. While coordination across borders remains complex, participants stressed that the benefits far outweigh the challenges, urging continued momentum and collaboration. 

Dr. Daniel Kitscha, CCSA and NZIA Lead, DG CLIMA, European Commission, highlighted accelerating policy and investment momentum, noting that 2026 is expected to be a pivotal year for carbon management. He pointed to a clear step-change since 2024, driven by increased storage permitting activity, strong demand for the EU Innovation Fund, and growing reinvestment of EU ETS revenues into CO₂ storage infrastructure. These signals, he said, reflect a strengthening enabling environment for CCUS in Europe.  

A subsequent session brought together the Flemish Energy Agency, Eni Netherlands CCUS, Gasunie, and Bellona Europa to examine the foundations of a European CO₂ transport market. Discussions focused on early national frameworks, investment conditions for first-mover projects, risk-sharing across the value chain, and the regulatory tools needed to develop an integrated, transparent, and investable CO₂ transport network.  

This year, the CCSA EU Conference presented a focus on several emerging geographical regions that are increasingly playing a key role in advancing the technology across Europe, including the Mediterranean basin, the North Sea, and Eastern Europe.  

In the Mediterranean panel, both institutional and industrial representatives from Italy and Greece – Agime Gerbeti, Paolo Testini, Kleopatra Avraam and Massimo Beccarello – explored emerging opportunities for regional cooperation. The discussion highlighted Italy’s efforts to accelerate the deployment of strategic infrastructure through emergency legislation, including the Ravenna CCS project, while Greece is advancing initiatives such as ApolloCO₂ to connect industrial emitters with storage capacity via Ravenna. Speakers agreed that, while the broader regulatory framework continues to evolve, priority should be given to delivering practical, bankable projects that can drive early deployment and build confidence in the European CCUS market.  

When it comes to the North Sea region, the speakers underscored the strategic importance of cross-border cooperation for the deployment of CCUS, highlighting how CCUS is no longer an optional climate solution but an essential component of achieving Europe’s climate objectives while safeguarding industrial competitiveness. Drawing on perspectives from countries across the North Sea basin – Norway, the UK, Germany, and Denmark – the panel emphasised that no single country can develop a successful CCUS market in isolation, and that close collaboration between governments, industry and stakeholders across the entire value chain will be critical to delivering a scalable and integrated European carbon management market. 

Matt Taylor, Director for CCUS Strategy and Policy, UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, said:  

“It’s important that industry, regulators and governments come together in sessions like this to explore how we can reach the full potential for CCS transport and storage. By working together as North Sea partners, we can jointly unlock the full value of CO₂ storage capacity, creating jobs, investment and growth while helping industry decarbonise faster and at lower cost in a safe and secure way.”  

The event also featured the first live edition of the CCSA Country Spotlight Series, focusing on Eastern Europe. During the session, Ionuț Sorin Banciu, Konstantin Bojinov and Paweł Gładysz explored CCUS-related opportunities and challenges across the region. Speakers emphasised that, in Eastern Europe, CCUS represents not only a critical climate solution but also a strategic opportunity to strengthen industrial competitiveness, attract investment and support economic revitalisation in regions where industrial activity has declined.  

Finally, Stijn Vercammen presented the CCSA Europe Market Study, outlining the current state of the sector and key risks to large-scale deployment. In a follow-up discussion on project finance, participants agreed that while there is no single funding model for CCUS, diversified financing strategies are emerging as the most effective way to reduce costs and de-risk investment across the value chain.  

Thierry Grauwels, EU Director, said: 

“As identified in the CCSA Europe Market Study, we’re entering a decisive period for CCUS in Europe. With major legislation now on the table, the opportunity is there, but policy must provide the certainty that gives industry the confidence to invest, build and scale today rather than tomorrow. The decisions made over the coming months will shape Europe’s industrial decarbonisation and competitiveness for decades to come.”  

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Notes to Editor  
Interview requests: please contact francesco.dapolito@ccsassociation.org  

About the CCSA  
CCUS, or Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, is a key low carbon solution – vital to meeting the EU’s climate targets. CCUS enables industrial decarbonisation as well as the production of clean power, clean products (such as cement and chemicals) and clean hydrogen – which can also be used to decarbonise industry. In addition, CCUS also enables greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere through Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) or Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS).  

The CCSA is the trade association accelerating the commercial deployment of CCUS, with offices in Belgium and in the UK. We work with members, governments and other organisations to ensure CCUS is developed and deployed at the pace and scale necessary to meet net zero goals and deliver sustainable growth across regions and nations.  

The CCSA currently has over 120 member companies who are active in exploring and developing different applications of carbon capture and removals, CO2 transportation by pipeline and ship, utilisation, geological storage, and other permanent storage solutions, end-users in the power, industry, waste management, fuels, and hydrogen production sectors, plus supply chain, engineering, construction and management, legal and financial consulting sectors.