On 25 June, the European Commission adopted the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF), with the new rules entering into force immediately. CISAF is designed to give EU Member States greater flexibility to support clean tech industries, enabling them to roll out public aid schemes without being constrained by traditional state aid rules.
The framework aims to accelerate investment in a range of eco-friendly technologies, including electrification, hydrogen, and Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) and Storage (CCS), by streamlining the approval process for national aid schemes and removing regulatory hurdles.
CO2 Value Europe contributed to the policymaking process earlier this year by submitting its official position on the draft CISAF in April 2025. Several of our recommendations have been reflected in the final text, including clearer references to recycled carbon fuels and explicit recognition of CCU as a clean technology.
Key elements:
🔵 Explicit recognition of CCU: CISAF singles out CCU as a key technology to deliver on EU climate targets. The framework explicitly references carbon capture for CO₂ mineralisation and synthetic fuels – a step forward in acknowledging CCU’s role in defossilising Europe’s economy.
🔵 Inclusion of recycled carbon technologies: Annexes list “CO₂ utilisation technologies”, “RFNBOs plants”, and “recycled carbon chemicals” as critical components of Europe’s clean tech mix, in line with our earlier recommendations.
🔵 Flexibility for national governments: Member States can now provide aid to CCU projects and other clean technologies with fewer administrative barriers, creating an important opportunity for developers to engage with national authorities and leverage these enabling rules.
CISAF marks a significant milestone for the CCU community, embedding CO₂ utilisation technologies more firmly within the EU’s policy landscape. While CISAF should be complemented by other initiatives to simplify and mainstream the EU framework around CCU, it does provide a stronger foundation to support CCU as part of Europe’s clean industrial transformation.
CO2 Value Europe looks forward to continuing its work with EU institutions to further strengthen this framework and reinforce the business case for CCU as a scalable solution to replace fossil fuels.
Find more on CISAF here.
