As of March 24, 2026, the EU has not yet published its first official CBAM “carbon price,” but it has announced that the first quarterly price of CBAM certificates will appear on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. This is an important moment because it turns CBAM from a reporting exercise into something much more concrete: a visible carbon cost linked to imports. Under the system, the 2026 certificate price will be based on the quarterly average of EU ETS auction clearing prices, and the Commission says the figures for 2026 will be published on April 7, July 6, October 5, 2026, and January 4, 2027. (taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu)
CBAM already moved through a transitional phase from October 1, 2023 to the end of 2025, when importers mainly had to report embedded emissions. The definitive regime started on January 1, 2026, and it covers key carbon-intensive sectors such as cement, aluminium, fertilisers, iron and steel, hydrogen, and electricity. Only authorised CBAM declarants are supposed to import these goods, and the EU has built authorisation and registry systems to manage that process. (taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu)
So, how will import business change? First, companies will need much better emissions data from overseas suppliers, because one CBAM certificate represents one tonne of CO2-equivalent embedded in imported goods. Second, finance teams will need to plan for a new kind of cost exposure: not a normal customs duty, but a carbon-linked compliance cost that follows the EU carbon market. For 2026 imports, certificates will be bought from February 2027, and importers will later declare emissions for 2026 and surrender the required certificates in 2027. (eur-lex.europa.eu)
In practical terms, smart importers will probably renegotiate contracts, ask suppliers for verified emissions data earlier, and compare sourcing options more carefully. CBAM also creates an incentive to buy from cleaner producers, because if importers can prove that a carbon price was already paid in the country of production, that amount can be deducted. In other words, the first published CBAM price is not just a number. It is a warning signal: carbon is becoming a real import cost, and companies that prepare early will have a clear advantage. (taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu)










