Ministerial Decree 15 October 2025 approving the “Linee guida” establishing criteria for the implementation of the public register of voluntary carbon credits

The Ministerial Decree of 15 October 2025 of the Ministero dell'Agricoltura, della Sovranità Alimentare e delle Foreste approves the “Linee guida” establishing the criteria for the implementation of the public register of voluntary carbon credits generated by the Italian agricultural and forestry sectors, currently limited to the forestry section. Adopted pursuant to Article 45, paragraph 2, of Decree-Law No. 13/2023 (converted into Law No. 41/2023), the guidelines define the rules for recognition, registration, transparency, and traceability of forestry-based carbon credits within a national voluntary framework. It imposes a five-year retention period before credits can be traded and requires that 20% of sale revenues be reinvested into forest maintenance and a positive or neutral impact on the biodiversity of ecosystems. A subsequent measure will integrate the guidelines to cover the agricultural section. The decree specifies that its implementation will not entail new or additional public expenditure and will be carried out using existing resources.