b'FLUXES The European Greenhouse Gas Bulletinsimon Kay John van aarDenneDeputy Head of Unit,Head of Group, European DG CLIMA EuropeanEnvironment AgencyCommissionTimely and reliable data is neededfor EU climate policy to succeed Keeping tabs on carbon removals and emissions from managed land, forests and soils is key for the European Union, not only for the reports it sends to the United Nations, but also to inform EU actions pushing forward with the Green Deal.C limate policy is complex and evolvingEU member states and associated countries can also rapidly. The EU has new and revised lawsuse the MRV of carbon fluxes to understand, firstly, the like the Land Use, Land Use Change andimplications of policies affecting farmers and foresters Forestry Regulation (LULUCF), the Carbonwhen land is converted away from agricultural produc-Removals Certification Framework and thetion. Secondly, MRV systems can give insights into proposal for the Forest Monitoring Regulation. All ofwhat the drivers of biodiversity loss are and, thirdly, these laws aim to increase the efficiency of carbonhow to best use incentives to drive change.removals and storage by these sectors. They need to be underpinned by monitoring, reporting and verificationThe EUs use of MRV set to improve(MRV) systems and techniques.MRV systems are key to understanding what isEvery year, EU countries put together a greenhouse gas happening on the ground, providing a picture of theinventory, using national statistics, satellite imagery condition of soil and biomass across the EU. They canand ground-based measurements. The data is checked also help support decision making and aid the imple- by a third party, the European Environment Agency, mentation of EU laws. which helps compile the collective inventory for the EU. Then, the data is sent to the UNFCCC.EU data on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals from agriculture, forests and soils is now set to improve, thanks to data from Copernicus satellite monitoring. This includes the European Environment By 2040, the EU couldAgency developing an EU-wide data set to compare what land is used for (forest, cropland, etc.) and make data target a 90% net emissionsavailable quicker to help member states keep track in reduction. line with annual reporting required by regulations.'