Allowances
Various types of emission allowances are used within the EU ETS. This page sets out these types and contains information on the use and holding of the various types of emission allowances.
Type of emission allowances
Holding emission allowances
The EU ETS Registry includes various types of account in which users are able to hold emission allowances. Not all types of emission allowances can be held in every type of account. These are the most important rules for holding emission allowances:
- EUAs/CHUs and AEUAs/CHUAs may be held in all types of account, except a Kyoto account.
- Valid CERs and ERUs can be held in all types of account.
- Invalid CERs and ERUs can only be held in a Kyoto account.
- Invalid CERs and ERUs from a previous Commitment Period (CP1) cannot be held in any account.
In which type of account can you hold which type of emission allowance?
| Operator holding account |
Aircraft operator holding account |
Trading account | Kyoto account | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUA/CHU | yes | yes | yes | no |
| AEUA/CHUA | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Valid CERs and ERUs |
Only if obtained in the account before 1 May 2021, in which case they may be held until 1 July 20233 | Only if obtained in the account before 1 May 2021, in which case they may be held until 1 July 20234 | Only if obtained in the account before 1 May 2021, in which case they may be held until 1 July 20235 | Yes, until 1 January 2026 |
| Invalid CERs and ERUs6 |
no | no | no | Yes, until 1 January 2026 |
3: CERs from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) registry may only be directly transferred to a Kyoto account.
4: Ditto.
5: Ditto.
6: Since 2013, CERs and ERUs that cannot be used (in the EU ETS) may only be held in Kyoto accounts.
The rules listed above affect the transfer of emission allowances. Only allowances that you may hold in a certain type of account can be transferred to such an account. EUAs, for example, may only be transferred to an aircraft or other operator holding account or trading account, but not to a Kyoto account.
You can find more information on the various types of account in the EU ETS Registry in the EU ETS Registry accounts background document.