Twelve EU countries led by Czechia seek delay to methane emissions rules

Luxembourg/Brussels, 26 June (ČTK correspondent) – Twelve EU member states, led by the Czech Republic, are urging the European Commission to postpone key provisions of the new methane emissions reduction rules by at least three years. The countries cite concerns over Europe’s energy security amid geopolitical instability. The Czech proposal will be discussed at today’s meeting of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg. Czechia is represented by Industry Minister Karel Havlíček.

The regulation on methane emissions in the energy sector is due to take effect on 1 January 2027. Under it, fossil fuel importers must provide the relevant national authorities each year with detailed and, crucially, independently verified information on methane emissions associated with the energy supplied. Czechia says this poses a problem due to a lack of verifiers and measuring equipment in third countries. Czech representatives had already highlighted this in April in a so-called non-paper, and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also wrote directly to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In connection with the energy crisis that emerged after the outbreak of the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, a number of EU states are concerned that compliance with the methane emissions rules could lead to restrictions on gas and oil imports from foreign suppliers into the European Union. Eleven other countries signed the Czech call: Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.

The European Commission has already indicated that it is considering not imposing fines for three years on oil and gas companies that breach EU methane emissions rules. However, the 12 EU countries consider the Commission’s recommendation, which envisages no sanctions during a three-year "transition period", to be insufficient. They argue, among other things, that the recommendation is not legally binding and that importers negotiating long-term supply contracts continue to face "significant legal uncertainty", Euronews reported.

"While we fully support the objective of reducing methane emissions, we consider it essential to adopt carefully targeted adjustments, including postponing the application of obligations arising from EU methane rules by at least three years," states the document backed by 12 countries, seen by ČTK.