The Federal Environment Agency of Germany has refused to issue climate certificates for eight projects in China to German companies due to proven irregularities. One employee of the agency has been suspended, and investigations are underway in collaboration with the Berlin public prosecutor's office.
These investigations are targeting companies specializing in environmental assessments. The certificates were being obtained by the companies based on their greenhouse gas reduction quotas in transportation, achieved through Upstream Emission Reduction projects in China.
As a result of the fraud, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Lemke, has halted all new applications. A total of 40 out of 69 projects in China are suspected of fraud.
The agency's decision to withhold 215,000 tons of CO2 certificates has also led to the involvement of an international law firm in the investigations. The Berlin public prosecutor's office has conducted searches in specialized companies suspected of fraud.
Rosneft Deutschland, an oil company, has decided not to include the questionable projects in their CO2 balance to protect their image. Additionally, German companies are facing penalties of up to 50 euros per unreported ton of CO2 for incomplete or inaccurate CBAM reports, despite the unavailability of necessary data.
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