Newly agreed CountEmissionsEU Regulation provides harmonised methodology for assessing climate impact

The EU took a significant step towards the transparent and harmonised reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from passenger and freight transport following the political agreement reached on November 5 on the CountEmissionsEU regulation.

This common EU framework introduces a single, reliable methodology to deliver clear, comparable, and trustworthy information on transport operations’ climate impact, in order to contribute to the sector meeting emissions reductions targets.

From the European Commission’s Mobility and Transport website:

“The framework is based on an internationally recognised methodology (EN ISO 14083:2023). To make it easy for companies to use and consistent across the EU, the Commission, with support from the European Environment Agency (EEA), will establish two free public databases for emissions data. Transport operators will also have access to a free calculation tool to support ease of use, while certified external tools are allowed to encourage innovation. Larger companies will need to verify their data, while smaller firms are exempt, to reduce unnecessary burdens.

“The regulation will apply to companies that choose to publish emissions from their activities. This maintains a proportionate approach and ensures that all public figures are comparable and trustworthy.”

RefMap and CountEmissionsEU

Estimating environmental impact is central to the RefMap Project and the development of a digital platform to enable conventional aviation (as well as Innovative Air Mobility operators) to optimise operations.

The RefMap toolset includes the Climate Change tool to enable airlines and network managers to optimize flight paths by assessing and mitigating climate impacts from CO2 and non-CO2 emissions. The CountEmissionsEU regulation provides an important common methodology and database for estimating emissions which will help inform further development of the tool, ensuring its usefulness for users and alignment with industry standards in reporting.

“A standardized EU-wide methodology is essential to have a harmonized framework. This ensures consistent comparison between, for instance, different fuels from conventional kerosene to SAF, while ensuring alignment with industry reporting standards,” noted María Cerezo, a RefMap researcher from UC3M.

Evelyn Otero, a researcher with RefMap partner KTH added that the new standardized methodology will not only provide a harmonized framework within climate impact but also support assessments of impacts on air quality, as greenhouse gas emissions affect both areas. “This holistic, harmonized assessment will be directly aligned with our goals, as in RefMap, we approach the environmental impact assessment and minimization from a holistic and interdisciplinary perspective,” she said.

The new regulation forms part of a broader effort on the part of the European Commission to increase reporting requirements in the transport sector.

“The RefMap Platform and toolset and the estimations they provide are fully aligned with the emissions reporting goals being set by the European Commission with a view to meeting ambitious reduction targets.” said Anna Palaiologk, a transport economist and founder of RefMap partner Future Needs.

“For example, in 2025 new regulations came into force requiring non-CO2 emissions be reported by airlines. The RefMap platform was designed to allow for such emissions to be estimated and trajectories optimised accordingly. Now the new CountEmissionsEU Regulation provides a clear and uniform methodology for estimating CO2 emissions. Incorporating this and the relevant database into our methodology can make tools like the RefMap platform more robust for use by industry and other stakeholders.”

Next Steps for CountEmmissionsEU

The Commission will now work with the EEA to set up the databases and the free calculation tool for SMEs. It will also adopt the necessary delegated and implementing acts to detail technical specifications, certification and verification rules. The regulation’s provisions will be implemented 48 months after entry into force.

This article was written by Pavlos Zafiropoulos of Future Needs, Dissemination and Communication Leader of the RefMap Project.