Europe's Carbon Capture Push Shifts From Ambition To Delivery At CCSA EU Conference 2026

Europe's carbon capture and storage sector took stock of its progress on June 30, 2026, when the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) hosted the third edition of its annual EU Conference in Brussels. More than 250 delegates, including policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society representatives, gathered to discuss how carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) can move from pilot projects to a fully integrated European market.

The tone centered less on proving the technology and more on building the commercial and regulatory scaffolding needed to scale it, with funding certainty and cross-border coordination flagged as the biggest hurdles ahead.

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Industry Leaders Call For Policy Certainty

Opening the conference, Olivia Powis, CEO, CCSA, said the sector has reached an inflection point. "Projects are moving, industry is ready and the need is undeniable," she said, adding that a coordinated approach to funding and regulation is needed to turn fragmented national efforts into an integrated European CCUS market at scale.

The opening panel brought together MEP Jeannette Baljeu, MEP Niels Flemming Hansen, and representatives from Gasunie, Shell, and Holcim, who agreed Europe can lead globally on CCUS but needs stronger cross-border cooperation and long-term clarity on the EU Emissions Trading System. Dr. Daniel Kitscha of the European Commission's DG CLIMA called 2026 a pivotal year for carbon management, pointing to rising storage permitting activity and strong demand for the EU Innovation Fund.

Building A Cross-Border Transport Network

A separate session with the Flemish Energy Agency, Eni Netherlands CCUS, Gasunie, and Bellona Europa examined how to build a functioning CO2 transport market through risk-sharing and investable regulatory tools.

Regional sessions covered the Mediterranean, North Sea, and Eastern Europe. Mediterranean speakers pointed to Italy's use of emergency legislation to fast-track the Ravenna CCS project, while Greece's ApolloCO2 initiative is working to link industrial emitters to storage via Ravenna. On the North Sea, Matt Taylor, Director for CCUS Strategy and Policy at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, said working together as North Sea partners can unlock the full value of CO2 storage capacity and help industry decarbonise faster and at lower cost. Eastern Europe got its own spotlight, framed as a lever for industrial competitiveness in regions where manufacturing has declined.

Financing Remains The Central Question

Thierry Grauwels, EU Director at the CCSA, closed the day by tying discussions back to the association's Europe Market Study, noting that major legislation is on the table but policy needs to give industry confidence to invest today. A related finance session agreed there's no single funding model for CCUS, but diversified strategies are emerging as the best way to de-risk investment across the value chain.

Key Facts

• The CCSA EU Conference 2026 took place June 30 in Brussels with 250+ delegates.
  
• It marked the third annual edition of the conference.
  
• Sessions covered cross-border CO2 transport, project finance, and regional deployment.
  
• Ravenna CCS (Italy) and ApolloCO2 (Greece) were named as near-term Mediterranean opportunities.
  
• The CCSA represents more than 120 member companies.
  

The message from Brussels was one of cautious momentum. Europe's CCUS sector no longer needs to prove the technology works. What remains is aligning governments, emitters, and investors around funding and regulation that can turn scattered national projects into one investable market.

About The CCSA

The Carbon Capture and Storage Association is the trade association accelerating commercial deployment of CCUS, with offices in Belgium and the UK.