The European Commission last week published its second 2026 status table on free allocation to industry and heat production, showing that 77.5% of the allowances listed in the latest National Allocation Tables (NATs) had been transferred as of 24 September, marking only limited progress from 72.5% two weeks earlier.

According to the document, 444.59 million EUAs were earmarked for free allocation in 2026, of which 344,38 million EUAs had already been transferred to operators, leaving around 100 million EUAs yet to be transferred.

Several large EU ETS markets had already completed or nearly completed their 2026 free allocation transfers. Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden were among the member states where virtually all allowances had been transferred to operators.

By contrast, the pace varied considerably across the bloc, with some member states still having substantial volumes outstanding. Romania was among those yet to begin the process, reporting no transfers of 2026 free allowances.

A further Commission update is due on 9 October 2026 and is expected to show additional progress across member states. However, with a sizable volume of around 100 million allowances still to be transferred, it is now clear that the allocation process will not be fully completed ahead of the compliance deadline.