EU proposes one-year delay to methane rules for oil, gas and coal imports

The proposal

The European Commission has proposed postponing by one year the EU methane rules that apply to imports of oil, gas and coal. The obligations were due to apply from 1 January 2027, and the amendment would push them to early 2028. The Commission announced the proposal on Tuesday, 13 October. Under the rules, importers would have to show that foreign producers monitor, report and verify methane emissions to standards equivalent to those required of EU companies. The draft also rules out penalty payments for three years, while importers without the delay would face heavy fines for non-compliance.

Energy prices drive the timing

The Commission links the move to the energy price squeeze. In a statement it said tensions in global energy markets, tied to the conflict in the Middle East, were pushing up prices and could reduce the availability of gas and oil. Ursula von der Leyen said in the week of 5 October that postponing the requirement by a year would save additional costs in times of crisis. The Commission insists that the proposal leaves the ambition, integrity and scope of the existing rules untouched. Methane is the second-largest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide. It stays in the atmosphere for a shorter time than CO2 but warms the planet more strongly while it is there.

Industry and member states want a longer delay

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, the industry's top lobby group in Brussels, reiterated on Friday, 9 October, its long-standing call for a three-year delay. Before the proposal, industry had argued that the rules were unclear and would deter exporters from selling to Europe, a view backed by the US government and several member states including France. France had proposed a one-year delay, while the Czech Republic pushed for up to three years, and 19 other states including Germany backed the Czech request. Economy minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) also wants a three-year postponement, while environment minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) does not want to change the requirements in the medium or long term. The German government has not yet agreed a joint position.

Enforcement and next steps

Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said in September that any delay would depend on countries implementing the rules locally, since only a handful have done so so far. In the week of 5 October he told a parliamentary hearing in Strasbourg that lawmakers should not try to amend the proposal to add further delays. Defenders of the rules concede that this will be hard in practice, given the shrinking influence of green-minded lawmakers in the European Parliament and political sensitivity to high energy costs. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU's 27 member states now have to negotiate the proposal. Some member countries are expected to raise it at a summit of European leaders on Friday, 16 October, and at a meeting of deputy ambassadors on 28 October.