The European Commission is proposing to postpone certain obligations under the EU methane regulation by one year, giving fossil fuel importers more time to comply. The move reflects growing concerns over energy security and rising prices, while raising questions about the EU's commitment to reducing methane emissions.
EU methane regulation: greater flexibility for fossil fuel importers
“Europe’s ambition in the fight against climate change remains unwavering. However, with a difficult winter approaching in terms of energy prices, we must be flexible and pragmatic in implementing our rules.”
With these words, Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, announced this morning a proposal to postpone certain requirements for importers under the EU methane regulation by one year.
What does the EU methane regulation require?
The legislation, which entered into force in 2024, was introduced to reduce atmospheric concentrations of methane, the second most important greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.
It establishes rules for the measurement, reporting and verification of methane emissions across the energy sector, alongside measures to address leaks and releases from oil and gas wells, coal mines and transport infrastructure.
The regulation also introduces strict, progressively implemented requirements for importers of oil, gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal.
Under the original timetable, from 1 January 2027, importers would have been required to demonstrate that producers outside the EU applied monitoring and mitigation requirements equivalent to those in Europe or to recognised international standards.
That timetable is now set to change, as the latest fossil fuel energy crisis has prompted the European Commission to propose temporarily relaxing these obligations.
The underlying issue is largely economic.
To comply with the EU methane regulation, producers in third countries without advanced detection technologies or leak detection and repair (LDAR) programmes would need to make additional investments to close existing monitoring gaps.
These costs would inevitably be reflected in oil and gas selling prices, potentially encouraging suppliers to redirect shipments towards less regulated markets.
This is far from a hypothetical concern. The United States, currently the EU’s largest LNG supplier, had already raised the possibility of suspending deliveries over the regulation and pressed Brussels for an exemption.
It is a scenario the EU is unwilling to contemplate under current circumstances, with the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz having sharply reduced global fossil fuel supplies.
EU methane regulation: what the proposed amendment changes
The proposed amendment to the EU methane regulation seeks to postpone import-related obligations in order to “avoid any potential indirect negative effects arising from these obligations in the context of the global energy crisis”.
Under the proposal, importers would have until 31 May 2029 to demonstrate compliance with the requirements covering oil, gas and coal brought into the EU during 2028.
At the same time, Brussels insists that the EU’s ambition to reduce methane emissions remains unchanged.
“The Commission will engage with the European Parliament and the Council to ensure that the legislative process for this proposal fully preserves its scope.”
What happens next?
The amendment must be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU for adoption. However, several Member States, including Italy, are seeking a postponement of at least three years.
The European Commission intends to work with both co-legislators to ensure that the legislative procedure is properly followed, while seeking a timely agreement “to maintain regulatory certainty”.
Methane emissions: the overlooked climate challenge
At first glance, the proposed change may appear to be a pragmatic response: temporarily ease regulatory requirements to navigate a difficult economic period, then return to the original course.
While the argument may make economic sense, its implications for climate policy are more problematic.
One of the longstanding challenges associated with methane emissions is the lack of accurate and comprehensive information from the energy sector.
According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Methane Tracker, the global energy sector released 147.7 million tonnes of methane in 2025, through leaks, intentional releases for operational or safety purposes, and incomplete combustion.
Europe accounted for just 3.64% of the global total.
Yet the real concern lies in methane’s impact on the climate.
It now appears increasingly certain that the world will fail to prevent global temperatures from rising by 1.5°C. Nevertheless, the opportunity to limit further warming has not disappeared entirely.
This makes it essential to consider methane’s global warming potential when designing energy policies.
Over the first 20 years after its release, methane (CH₄) has a warming effect approximately 80 to 84 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂).
Cutting methane leaks also makes economic sense
Monitoring methane emissions, and above all preventing leaks, should be in everyone’s interest.
As the IEA explains, recovering methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere can often generate enough economic value to offset the cost of the technologies used to reduce emissions.
The value of recovered gas is calculated using wellhead prices, derived from import prices or prices in major export markets, after deducting taxes, fees, local transport costs and liquefaction expenses.
There is another important consideration.
The amount of methane emitted in 2025 alone was equivalent to approximately two-thirds of Europe’s total annual gas consumption.
That is another compelling reason to avoid wasting a valuable energy resource.
