EEA Joint Committee Incorporates CBAM into EEA Agreement, Setting March 2027 Grace Period

The European Economic Area (EEA) Committee has formally decided to incorporate the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) into the EEA Agreement, marking a critical milestone for Norway's 2027 implementation.

While the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) already consented to this integration in June, the framework now requires final approval from Iceland's parliament (Althingi) before it can officially enter into force across the EEA.

Despite this pending step, Norwegian authorities are urging businesses to begin concrete preparations immediately and have published specific operational details regarding domestic administration:

• Customs Identifiers: To import CBAM goods, businesses must be registered with Norwegian Customs (Tolletaten) to receive a specific Norwegian identifier, which acts as a domestic adaptation of the EU's EORI number.

• The 50-Tonne Authorization Limit: The Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) has been named as the official authority responsible for granting CBAM authorizations. Any business importing more than 50 tons of CBAM goods annually—or any quantity of hydrogen and electricity—must apply for this authorization to continue importing.

• March 2027 Grace Period: To ensure supply chains are not immediately disrupted on January 1, 2027, authorities have established a transitional window: "All businesses that have submitted an application for authorization in the CBAM register before 31 March 2027 can continue to import CBAM goods until the application has been processed."

The official registration scheme with Norwegian Customs and the application portal within the CBAM registry are scheduled to open "later this autumn".