CBAM Weekly News Update – Week of 3 March – 9 March 2026 | CBAM Desk

This week in CBAM: the European Commission confirmed the first quarterly certificate price publication for 7 April 2026 and issued a tender for the Common Central Platform, CBAM swaps gained traction as a hedging instrument, EFDA raised concerns over high default emission values for fasteners, APPLiA called for broader CBAM scope to include home appliances, Montenegro's annual CBAM exposure was estimated at EUR 191 million, and the UK launched a consultation on its secondary CBAM legislation ahead of a January 2027 start.

1. Commission Announces First CBAM Certificate Price Publication

The European Commission has confirmed that it will publish the first quarterly CBAM certificate price on 7 April 2026.¹ This is a key milestone in the operational rollout of CBAM, as the 2026 import certificate price will be calculated as the quarterly average of EU ETS auction prices. Subsequent publications are scheduled for 6 July, 5 October 2026 and 4 January 2027.^{1, 2}

The Commission has also published a call for tenders for the establishment of the Common Central Platform (CCP), the digital platform that will manage the sale and surrender of CBAM certificates. The deadline for submissions is 20 March 2026.²

This confirms that CBAM entered its definitive regime on 1 January 2026, with importers required to be authorised and preparing for certificate obligations.¹

2. Financial Markets & Hedging: CBAM Swaps Gain Traction

Market reports indicate that CBAM swaps are gaining interest as an instrument to hedge exposure to EU carbon price volatility.³ Traders and importers are exploring financial derivatives that allow them to lock in a fixed CBAM certificate price and settle against an index at expiry.³

While no formal EU publication of swap volumes is available, market sources emphasise that CBAM-related hedges are growing, particularly given recent fluctuations in EUA prices within the EU ETS market.³

3. EFDA Reacts to Default Emission Values

The European Fastener Distributor Association (EFDA) has sent an urgent appeal to the European Commission over concerns that CBAM default emission values are too high and significantly increase costs for imported fasteners.^{4, 5, 6} EFDA argues that the current default value methodology — necessary as long as verified emissions data is unavailable — leads to higher costs for importers and competitive distortion relative to EU-manufactured products.^{4, 5}

The core issue is that many importers cannot yet provide fully verified emissions data for 2026 and must therefore apply default values, which can substantially overestimate actual embedded emissions.⁶

4. APPLiA Calls for Broader Scope of CBAM

European appliance manufacturers' association APPLiA has called on the Commission to extend CBAM's scope to additional categories of home appliances not yet covered by the proposed amendment.⁷

While APPLiA supports the Commission's objective of creating a level playing field, it emphasises that some appliances with comparable carbon exposure to already-included products currently fall outside CBAM's scope and may therefore continue to experience trade distortion.⁷

5. Montenegro: Annual CBAM Exposure Estimated at EUR 191 Million

A recent analysis confirms that Montenegro's annual CBAM costs could amount to approximately EUR 191 million, primarily due to the role of electricity and other carbon-intensive exports.⁸

For countries without a well-functioning domestic carbon price, CBAM can impose significant financial burdens, as the EU ETS carbon price is typically much higher than national systems.⁸

6. UK Advances CBAM Secondary Legislation & Consultation

The United Kingdom has launched a technical consultation on draft secondary legislation intended to take effect on 1 January 2027, in parallel with the introduction of the UK's own CBAM system.^{9, 10} The consultation is open until 24 March 2026 and seeks stakeholder feedback on registration requirements, administrative matters, and other operational aspects of UK CBAM legislation.⁹

The UK plans confirm that legislation and administrative procedures must be finalised so that importers and other stakeholders understand how CBAM policy will function in the UK, including possible facilitations for businesses from countries with their own carbon pricing systems.¹⁰

In collaboration with

Hulsman & Partners

This article was produced in collaboration with Hulsman & Partners. Looking for expert guidance on CBAM compliance? Their team offers specialised consultancy to help your organisation navigate the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

Visit Hulsman & Partners

CBAM Weekly News Update – Week of 3 March – 9 March 2026