Eleven EU nations warn that methane regulations could endanger natural gas supplies, particularly affecting foreign providers facing additional expenses. Environmental groups caution the EU against yielding to pressure, while the United Nations calls on countries worldwide to intensify efforts to reduce methane emissions.
Led by the Czech Republic and Slovakia, eleven EU countries are pressing the European Commission to postpone critical elements of the EU methane regulations for at least three years. They argue that enforcing these rules immediately could jeopardize Europe’s energy stability amid geopolitical tensions, according to a document obtained by Euronews.
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This appeal from the eleven nations comes just before energy ministers convene in Luxembourg on 26 June, as the European Commission considers suspending penalties for oil and gas companies breaching methane emissions regulations for a duration of three years.
However, these member states claim that the Commission’s suggestion to refrain from penalties during this «transition period» remains inadequate. They emphasize that the recommendation lacks binding force and causes «considerable legal uncertainty» for importers negotiating long-term gas contracts.
«While fully endorsing the goal to reduce methane emissions, we find it necessary to implement precisely targeted changes, including deferring the EU methane obligations by no less than three years,» the document states.
Produced mainly through fossil fuel extraction and livestock digestion, methane is a greenhouse gas with an impact on global warming over 80 times greater than carbon dioxide over twenty years. According to the International Energy Agency, this gas accounts for about 30 percent of the global temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution.
In May 2024, EU member states adopted methane regulations, setting the region’s inaugural system for measuring, reporting, and verifying methane emissions in the energy sector as part of efforts to reduce this potent greenhouse gas. Non-compliance with data requests results in sanctions.
Geopolitical context and supply reliability
Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe has aimed to both accelerate climate initiatives and diversify its energy sources.
The methane rules target emission reductions throughout the energy supply chain, but there is growing concern that enforcing compliance from foreign providers too swiftly could restrict supply and raise prices.
The eleven governments maintain their commitment to methane reduction but warn that current market instability renders strict application hazardous. They highlight ongoing turmoil in global oil and gas markets, particularly linked to Middle East instability, which has tightened supplies and heightened uncertainty ahead of anticipated winter demand peaks.
«In this environment, it is crucial that EU methane regulations do not inadvertently limit access to varied gas and crude oil sources,» the document reads, also cautioning that import requirements under the methane legislation might dissuade some foreign exporters lacking advanced methane-monitoring capabilities from engaging with the EU market.
These concerns are amplified by lobbying from the US and, more recently, Qatar—a key LNG exporter to the EU whose production has been substantially affected by the conflict in Iran, according to a public letter sent to EU leaders by major energy exporters including Algeria and Nigeria.
«The EU has a narrow timeframe to adjust the methane regulations since importers have already started purchasing oil and natural gas slated for delivery in 2027, and currently, there is no feasible means to comply with the regulation,» the letter warns, referring to the year these rules are due to come into effect.
The eleven capitals caution that this scenario risks driving suppliers to redirect LNG and oil shipments to less regulated markets, leading to higher energy costs for both consumers and industries.
«A coordinated, temporary delay of EU methane regulations is critical to guarantee effective, harmonised implementation while protecting the EU’s energy security during a period of intensified geopolitical risk,» the plea from the capitals urges.
«This strategy upholds the environmental credibility of the Regulation, delivers legal and operational certainty, and secures continued access to diverse natural gas and oil supplies until current supply uncertainties diminish.»
Calls from environmentalists and the UN for enhanced measures
Nevertheless, foreign pressures stem from multiple directions. Members of the Democratic Party in Washington have recently urged the EU to maintain its methane rules and avoid exempting US energy firms if the domestic regulatory standards lack precision or enforcement.
Esther Bollendorff, fossil-free program manager at Climate Action Network Europe, remarked that the EU member states’ appeals to delay the methane rules «worryingly» mirror the fossil fuel sector and the previous Trump administration’s efforts to weaken the law, framing it as a «threat to supply security.»
She encouraged the EU «not to yield to these pressures» but instead to implement the methane law fully while progressively eliminating fossil fuel dependence.
«In reality, the regulation does not prohibit gas imports. Rather, it offers phased compliance options for suppliers, and global supplies that meet these standards already exceed the EU’s import requirements by over threefold,» Bollendorff told Euronews, dismissing earlier studies suggesting otherwise.
«Reducing methane emissions can bring immediate advantages beyond climate impact, such as improved public health and enhanced energy security. The EU possesses the necessary tools to act,» she added, referencing the recent statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging global leaders to address methane emissions during a major climate summit in London.
“We eliminated ozone-depleting substances; methane pollution must be the next priority,” Guterres stated from London. “I call on producer and consumer governments alike to adopt a global standard for the oil and gas sector: near-zero methane emissions throughout the supply chain.”