EU seeks balance between curbing methane emissions and security of supply

The European Commission is responding to tensions in oil and gas markets with two recommendations intended to facilitate the implementation of the European methane emissions reduction regulation. It recommends that Member States temporarily refrain from imposing financial penalties on importers that fail to meet certain information and reporting obligations between 2027 and 2029. It has also published model contract clauses intended to make it easier for European buyers to obtain data from producers and suppliers in third countries.

This does not amount to the abolition or formal postponement of the obligations. They remain part of the regulation, and importers must continue preparing to comply with them.

Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 of the European Parliament and of the Council entered into force in August 2024. It introduces rules for measuring, monitoring, reporting and verifying methane emissions in the oil, natural gas and coal sectors. It will also gradually apply to importers of energy commodities, who are required to obtain information on emissions from extraction and transport and subsequently demonstrate the comparability of foreign MRV systems, meaning emissions monitoring, reporting and verification.