In the Commission’s Industrial Carbon Management Strategy it acknowledges the importance of CCUs, and that without it the EU will not succeed in its Green deal and Net Zero ambitions. In her speech before the Parliament and the Political Guidelines outlining the next Commission’s priorities, the importance of CCUS for the Clean Industrial Deal is highlighted by President Von der Leyen. In this article the author looks at the challenges in developing a ‘fit-for-purpose’ CCUS value chain in time to meet the EU’s needs, and suggests a tentative road map of actions that the next Commission may consider taking.