EU delays methane import rules for oil, gas and coal by one year

In brief

• EU governments have agreed to delay by one year the methane reporting duties for importers of gas, oil and coal.
• The reporting obligations now start on 1 January 2028 instead of 2027, amid energy price pressure from the Middle East war.
• Parliament had backed a three-year delay, so a compromise must still be negotiated.

Postponement agreed by the Council

The Council of the EU has agreed to push back by one year the monitoring and reporting duties that apply to importers of natural gas, crude oil and coal (Sorge vor Engpässen - EU-Staaten wollen Methanvorgaben für Energie-Importe verschieben – Deutschlandfunk) (У ЄС відтермінували на рік регулювання імпорту метану та сирої нафти – Європейська правда). The obligations were due to start on 1 January 2027 and will now take effect on 1 January 2028.

Reason for the delay

Energy markets have come under strong pressure from the war in the Middle East, pushing prices up across the EU. Member states argue that the bloc needs secure supplies more than ever, and that adding reporting requirements for importers could tighten supply further.

Methane intensity reporting

Separately, the requirement for importers and producers to report methane emission intensity has also been moved back by a year, to 5 August 2029 from 5 August 2028.

Parliament's position

The European Parliament had already backed a three-year delay in October, rather than the one-year postponement proposed initially (ES šalys pritarė metano taisyklių atidėjimui vieneriems metams – Diena.lt). Both sides must now negotiate a compromise before the rules can be finalised.

Commission review

Under the Council's position, the European Commission is to assess by 30 September 2027 whether the conditions for the reporting obligations are met.

Background

The regulation is considered the first worldwide attempt to curb methane emissions from leaking oil and gas infrastructure. Methane is regarded as the second most important driver of global warming after carbon dioxide.