A new action plan has been created by CCS Europe and this plan includes multiple recommendations which are directed to policy makers.

At the moment, there are only a small amount of CCS projects which are operational or under construction, meaning that there is a very pressing need to drive CCS projects forwards, so that operational and effective CCS can become a reality within Europe. Confirming this requirement, it has been made clear by the EU, that CCS is one of the techniques which is essential to decarbonising the European economy.

The Action Plan, which was presented by CCS Europe for Carbon Capture, highlights three specific priorities for consideration at the upcoming European political mandate. These have been chosen in order to ensure that CCS becomes more than what is promised in policies and becomes a practise which has a real effect and will lead the industry forwards. These priorities include, ‘Securing political support for CCS deployment in Member States’, ‘Strengthening the business case for CCS investment’ and finally, ‘Developing a regulatory framework to support CCS deployment.’

‘Securing political support for CCS deployment in Member States’ is important because currently it is clear that ‘a number of Member States still lack a fully-developed strategy for CCS deployment. The EU needs to do more to ensure that Member States play their part. This should include the creation of a "CCS Envoy" and the introduction of carbon capture targets in National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).’

‘Strengthening the business case for CCS investment’, is a key target, which has already been recognised by the Commission, due to the large funding gap for CCS, which needs to be addressed. The written priority states,  ‘The EU needs to work closely together with industry to ensure the creation of an adequate business case for CCS, including through measures to establish financial support mechanisms in Member States and streamlining existing EU funding.’

‘Developing a regulatory framework to support CCS deployment’ is very important as, ‘The current mandate has brought a number of targets for CCS deployment. Targets for capture and storage need to be supported by means of accelerating permitting procedures for capture plants, transport infrastructure, and CO2 storage sites.’