Carbon border Adjustment mechanism (CBAM) : provisional deal reached by EU institutions

The European Commission has welcomed a provisional political agreement reached on 18/06/025 between the European Parliament and the European Council on the simplification of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The agreement follows a Commission proposal from 26/02/2025, aimed at easing administrative burdens for businesses while preserving the environmental integrity of the measure.

A central feature of the proposal is a new exemption threshold set at 50 tonnes per importer per year. Importers whose CBAM-covered goods remain below this limit will be exempt from the regulation’s obligations. According to the Commission, the exemption primarily benefits SMEs and individuals who handle only small quantities of regulated goods.

Broader simplifications for all importers

“This simplification is an important contribution to boost EU's competitiveness and unlock our full economic potential,” the Commission stated. As part of the Clean Industrial Deal, the measure seeks to reduce compliance costs without undermining climate objectives. Despite the new threshold, around 99…