Methane: Commission proposes a one-year delay to import rules

Brussels –Methane: one-year delay granted for import rules. In the interests of energy security and to combat rising energy prices, the European Commission has adopted a legislative proposal to postpone the implementation of certain provisions of the 2024 Methane Regulation regarding gas purchases. The targeted amendment proposal concerns the monitoring, reporting and verification obligations for natural gas, oil and coal importers. It also concerns the provisions on reporting methane emission intensity requirements for both importers and producers within the Union. ​

“The priority now is to shield European citizens from the price volatility we are facing, and avoid any potential additional risk to energy supplies at a time of global constraints,” said the Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, in presenting the proposal. He reiterated that this is not a step backwards in terms of sustainability commitments, and that, on the contrary, “Europe’s ambition in the fight against climate change remains unflinching.” However, he added, “as we approach a difficult winter in terms of energy prices, we need to be flexible and pragmatic in the implementation of our rules.”

The backdrop to this is precisely this combination of approaching cold weather and rising prices. “Europe is bracing itself for a difficult winter, characterised by high energy prices,” officials in Brussels acknowledge. Tensions on global energy markets, linked to the conflict in the Middle East, are putting pressure on European energy markets. This is driving up energy prices and “could reduce the availability of gas and oil, undermining the EU’s competitiveness and security of supply.”

This is therefore a step deemed essential, and one already signalled by Jørgensen himself, who is keen to act “to ease the pressure on European industry and national administrations” amid a geopolitical environment characterised by tensions and uncertainty. The hope is that the situation will have improved by this time next year.

“We are not currently facing a supply crisis,” reassures Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission spokesperson for energy issues. “However, we are in a very volatile situation.”

The proposal to postpone the import provisions by one year will now be examined by Parliament and the Council, with the Commission hoping for swift approval: “A timely agreement is essential to maintain regulatory certainty,” the Commission’s services stress.