Commission issues guidance to promote coherent implementation of the CCS Directive across EU Member ...

The European Commission today issued four guidance documents to support coherent implementation of the EU Directive on the geological storage of carbon dioxide ('CCS Directive') across EU Member States. The four documents, mainly addressed to national authorities and other relevant stakeholders, elaborate on key provisions of the CCS Directive, which establishes a legal framework for the environmentally safe geological storage of CO2.

The first document outlines a framework for managing the life cycle risks of CO2 storage. The other documents address in more detail issues such as the characterisation of the storage complex, CO2 stream composition, monitoring and corrective measures, the criteria for transferring responsibility for storage sites to the Member State, and financial security.

By addressing these issues, the guidance documents will help to ensure environmentally safe geological storage of CO2. The documents have been drawn up on the basis of discussions with experts from Member States and other key stakeholders, including industry, the research community and non-governmental organisations.

The deadline for Member States to transpose the CCS Directive into national law is 25 June 2011.

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• Implementation of the CCS directive