The European Climate Law, as currently written, requires greenhouse gas emissions to be balanced with carbon dioxide removals by 2050. It explicitly mandates the EU institutions and the member states to “prioritise swift and predictable emissions reductions and, at the same time, enhance removals by natural sinks”. However, not only does the Climate Law not mention the different roles of biogenic sequestration by natural sinks and permanent removals, but it also fails to determine how much or which type of removals should be used to reach the net-zero target by 2050, or how much residual emissions will be allowed at that point. The EU must take advantage of this opportunity to revise the European Climate Law to ensure that carbon removals are supplementary to emissions reductions and to clarify the different roles of permanent removals and biogenic sequestration. Stakeholders representing academia, civil society and industry established the CO2ol Down project to co-create a proposal for a revision of the European Climate Law that would fulfil these aims.