CBAM go-live: no electricity imports in week one

Iron and steel dominated the CBAM imports declared in the first reporting window, January 1-6, according to the European Commission.

The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered into force on January 1. The European Commission used the January 1 to January 6 period for initial data collection to monitor and report on the CBAM go-live.

From the beginning of this year, firms in the EU that import aluminum, cement, electricity, iron and steel, hydrogen and fertilizers from non-EU countries are obliged to pay a carbon price under CBAM. But, the deadline to submit CBAM certificates for 2026 is May 31, 2027.

CBAM successfully entered into force on January 1, 2026, according to the commission.

CBAM imports declared in the first reporting window from January 1 to January 6 covered 1.655.613 tonnes

The full implementation followed a coordinated deployment across all EU member states, seamlessly integrating the CBAM Registry with national customs import systems, Taric and EU Customs Single Window, the commission explained.

This seamless interconnection ensured real-time data exchange, efficient validation of declarants, and uninterrupted import procedures at EU external borders, the EU’s executive arm claims.

CBAM imports declared in the first reporting window, from January 1 to January 6, covered 1.655.613 tonnes. This is the sectoral breakdown:

• Iron and steel: 98%
• Fertilizers: 1.2%
• Cement: 0.5%
• Aluminium: 0.3%
• Electricity and hydrogen: 0%.

The main countries of origin of CBAM-covered imports included Turkey, China, India, Canada, Taiwan, and Vietnam. On the other hand, top importing member states are Belgium, Spain, Romania, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.

In total, more than 12,000 economic operators submitted applications for CBAM authorization by January 7.

The commission invited entities that have not yet submitted their CBAM authorization applications to do so as soon as possible via the CBAM Registry.

National authorities report stable processing times, supported by harmonized digital workflows, according to the commission.

Of note, in mid-December last year, the commission published implementing acts and amendments to the CBAM Regulation.