The European Union Registry is the mechanism by which EU ETS allowances and Kyoto units are held, traded and surrendered for compliance purposes. The registry is governed by the registry regulations and published by the European Commission.
Units in use in the European Union Registry
The European Union issues two types of unit for use by operators.
European Union units
The European Union issues two types of unit for use by operators.
- General allowances - these are issued to stationary operators and may be surrendered in order to meet the compliance obligations of installations.
- Aviation allowances - these are issued to aircraft operators and may be surrendered in order to meet the compliance obligations of aircraft operators. In addition, aircraft operators may also surrender general allowances in order to meet their compliance obligations.
Kyoto Units
In addition to European Union units, European Union registry accounts may also hold Kyoto units. Kyoto units and their use within the Emissions Trading System are described in our guidance.
Aircraft operators may surrender up to 15% of their verified emissions as certified emissions reduction units (CERs) or emissions reductions units (ERU_AAUs).
Stationary operators may surrender CERs or ERU_AAUs up to eight% of their annual allocation (9.3% for a large electrical producer).
About the European Union Registry
The European Union Registry replaces the previous registry system in which each member state managed their own national registry system. It has been developed and is managed by the European Commission. Each member state has their own national administrator and national registry section within the European Union Registry. The national administrator for the UK is the Environment Agency.
The union registry is a secure web-based system similar to online banking. Instead of money in the account, you have allowances and/or credits. Access to the registry accounts is controlled by the national administrator.
Contact the UK registry team
For further information about the European Union Registry please contact the registry team by email or phone +44 (0)1925 542 594 between 09:00 and 17:00 GMT/BST. If we can't respond immediately please leave a message.
