EU countries reportedly back delay to methane rules for oil and gas
Member states reportedly support a one-year delay, but the precise final text and agreement with the European Parliament have not yet been made public.
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According to new reports, EU countries have agreed to a one-year delay to parts of the methane rules for oil and gas importers. The European Commission had proposed the delay earlier, while the European Parliament supported a longer period.
The EU Methane Regulation requires companies to measure, report and have their emissions independently verified. The rules apply to the energy sector within the European Union and, gradually, to imported oil, natural gas and coal.
On 14 October, the European Commission proposed bringing certain reporting requirements into force a year later. According to the Commission, this should reduce pressure on energy supplies without formally changing the regulation’s scope or ambition.
The European Parliament had earlier voted for a longer delay. Under the parliamentary proposal, importers would have until 31 May 2031 for certain obligations, rather than 31 May 2029. According to European reports, member states were divided between a one- and three-year delay.
A delay could give energy companies more time to establish measurement and reporting systems and adjust contracts with suppliers. For climate policy, it could mean that stricter checks on methane leaks take longer to have their full effect. Methane traps far more heat than carbon dioxide in the short term, but remains in the atmosphere for less time.
The precise legal text still matters. A political agreement between member states is not the same as a definitive amendment to the regulation: the European Parliament and the Council must also approve the final legislation. It is therefore not yet certain which obligations will be shifted, or to what date.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The EU Methane Regulation requires the measurement, reporting and verification of methane emissions.
- The Commission proposed a one-year delay.
- The European Parliament supported a longer delay than the Commission.
Left
Arguments From this perspective, strict methane rules should come into force as quickly as possible because methane makes a significant contribution to warming in the short term.
Values Climate protection, precaution and polluters’ responsibility.
Consequences A delay could cause additional emissions and climate damage that is difficult to reverse.
Centre
Arguments A limited delay may be defensible if it enables companies and regulators to introduce reliable measurement and monitoring systems.
Values Effective enforcement, feasibility and energy security.
Consequences A clear end date and verifiable interim steps are needed to prevent the delay from becoming permanent.
Right
Arguments From this perspective, the rules should take account of energy prices, security of supply and the administrative burden on importers.
Values Affordability, competitiveness and national energy security.
Consequences According to this view, introducing the rules too quickly could restrict imports or make energy more expensive, particularly if suppliers cannot meet European requirements.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The existing rules and the Commission’s and Parliament’s proposals can be verified. The new agreement by the member states is not yet fully verifiable in the formal documents and is therefore described as provisional reporting.
- confirmed The EU Methane Regulation focuses on measuring, reporting and verifying emissions — The European Commission describes these obligations on its subject page. source
- confirmed The Commission proposed a one-year delay on 14 October 2026 — Mentioned on the official Commission page. source
- confirmed The European Parliament supported a longer delay until 31 May 2031 at the latest — Mentioned in the parliamentary document overview. source
- uncertain EU countries have definitively agreed to precisely a one-year delay — The supplied headlines report this, but the formal Council text was not available. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: The EU has definitively delayed the methane rules by one year.Now: According to the initial reports, EU countries support a one-year delay; the definitive legal text and approval by both co-legislators have not yet been published. (Political agreement is not yet a definitive amendment to the law.)
Editor's note
The Commission and the European Parliament confirm the different proposals. The new agreement by the member states appears in the supplied headlines, but the formal Council text was not yet available at the time of checking.Sources
- Methane emissions — Europese Commissie
- Document summary on postponement of methane obligations — Europees Parlement
- EU Methane Emissions Regulation delays to go down to the wire — ICIS
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „methaan olie”
- Het Parool — „methaan olie”
- de Volkskrant — „methaan olie”