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CDR policies for the next decade of EU climate governance (CDRnext)

As part of the BMFTR funding line CDRterra, CDRnext aims to identify strategies for ramping up durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods up to 2040 by developing robust policy pathways through interdisciplinary analysis of regulatory, economic, and technological dimensions. Building on a brownfield approach, the project assumes that large-scale deployment of durable CDR can be embedded within existing regulatory frameworks and market mechanisms. Drawing on experiences from electricity, gas, and hydrogen markets, CDRnext explores how current and emerging regulatory and market architectures can be adapted to support the scale-up of CDR. 

By explicitly addressing cross-level regulatory coherence and market design, the project contributes to a deeper understanding of how durable CDR can be effectively integrated into future EU climate governance. On this basis, the project develops policy instruments proposals that are consistent with long-term climate targets while accounting for economic viability, strategic priorities, and evolving international climate policy regimes.

Within the interdisciplinary consortium, the SWP project team is responsible for the analysis and synthesis of international and EU-level governance frameworks for durable CDR. The team focuses on the interaction between emerging international CDR governance and the architecture of EU climate and energy policy, including the EU’s role in shaping international rules and norms. This includes the examination of anticipated and evolving linkages such as the external dimension of the European Green Deal, international burden-sharing for CDR deployment, and interfaces with instruments such as CBAM and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. In addition, SWP is responsible for synthesizing research insights generated across the consortium with the aim of identifying strategic options for scaling up durable CDR and the associated market design. By integrating theoretical insights from the CDRnext work packages with practice-oriented knowledge through continuous engagement with policymakers, public authorities, economic actors, and organized civil society, the project seeks to inform the forthcoming revision of EU climate policy instruments for the period 2031–2040.

Funded by: Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)

Duration: 01 November 2025 – 31 October 2028

Project team