ASEAN exporters to the EU are reminded of the upcoming deadline of 31 July, to work with their importers on the reporting of emissions under the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which obligates companies to report their emissions during the transition period, which started from October 2023. 

During this period, importers of goods in the scope of the new rules will only have to report greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) embedded in their imports (direct and indirect emissions), without the need to buy and surrender certificates. Indirect emissions will be covered in the scope after the transitional period for some sectors (cement and fertilisers). 

While reporting should have been done quarterly from the start of the transitional period (see table below) the Commission has allowed for modification and changes to the first three quarterly reporting until 31 July 2024.

While companies are expected to use actual emissions for their reporting, estimations (including default values) can still be used for up to 100% of the specific direct embedded emissions for imports until 30 June 2024 (i.e. CBAM reports due until 31 July 2024)

Reporting itself can only be conducted if the importer of a product has an EU presence. Otherwise, they must nominate someone in their stead.

Companies who need more help on compliance are advised to reach out to the EU Delegation in their country, or through ASEANcham-EU.