Following the adoption of the Council's general approach by the environment ministers on June 17, Copa and Cogeca commend the work done in the Council over the past few months, which has led to the adoption of a balanced text.

The general approach takes into account the reality of farms and offers suitable flexibility for the use of carbon credits on the voluntary market.

In this regard, Copa and Cogeca hope to see these improvements defended during the upcoming institutional trilogue negotiations.

Among other elements, Copa and Cogeca welcome the possibility of learning the verification process of claims ("Simplified Procedure") regarding those agricultural practices that are already within the environmental framework of the Common Agricultural Policy. A decision that also goes in the right direction in the context of simplifying the CAP.

Copa and Cogeca welcome the continuity that the environment ministers have decided to maintain with the Certification Framework for Carbon Removal in the general approach, allowing operators to use carbon credits to balance emissions.

While maintaining the requirements of the initial proposal to transparently communicate about the credits used, this option for operators will facilitate work towards achieving the EU's climate objectives, as stated in the press release sent to the infoFERMA editorial office.