The published calendars reflect the cancellation of allowances relating to 2024 phase in of maritime emissions in the EU ETS and the inclusion of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport activities.
Maritime transport has been included in the EU ETS since 2024, with shipping companies required to surrender allowances for 40% of their emissions for 2024 (and 70% in 2025). In addition, shipping companies may surrender 5% fewer allowances than their verified emission from ice-class ships. To protect the environmental integrity of the system, when fewer allowances are surrendered compared to the verified emissions from maritime transport in 2024 and 2025, Member States will cancel the number of allowances corresponding to that difference. Under Articles 3gb and 12(3-e) of the ETS Directive, the difference is to be cancelled from auctioning.
The cancellation for 2024, totalling 54 243 768 allowances, was determined on 14 October 2025 as the difference between verified emissions reported in the Union Registry (89 811 331) and the allowances surrendered in accounts with verified emissions (35 588 702), corrected by the amount of excess surrendered allowances (21 139). The surrendered allowances and emissions levels for 2024 verified after 14 October 2025 will be reflected in future revisions of the EU ETS auction calendar.
Furthermore, pursuant to Article 9 of the ETS Directive, the volume of general allowances has been increased by 2 375 680 units to take into account the coverage of greenhouse gas emissions other than CO2 emissions from maritime transport activities, based on reported methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions for 2024.
In 2026, auctions by the common auction platform will continue to take place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting on 8 January. Auctions by Germany will be held weekly on Fridays, starting on 9 January. Auctions on behalf of Poland are scheduled bi-weekly on Wednesdays, starting on 7 January.
Since 1 January 2021, the EU ETS Directive continues to apply to and in the UK with respect to the generation of electricity in Northern Ireland. In accordance with the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (the ‘Windsor Framework’), the UK will auction a volume of allowances corresponding to its share in the Union-wide cap. One auction for Northern Ireland will take place on 7 October 2026.
The auction calendars consist of the auction volumes for all Member States, the Innovation Fund, the Modernisation Fund, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Social Climate Fund.
The 2026 auction volumes are calculated in accordance with the previously published:
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