The EU Methane Regulation (EUMR) has come under mounting political pressure in recent months. Following an intensive lobbying campaign by the US government, Qatar and the fossil fuel industry, several member states have called for delays or changes to its implementation. So far, however, the European Commission has refused to reopen the legislation.
The debate intensified ahead of the EU Energy Council in June after a leaked draft Commission recommendation proposed a three-year suspension of penalties under the Regulation, citing the ongoing energy crisis. Even this preventive compromise was not enough for some governments. Czechia and Slovakia circulated a non-paper[1] calling for the Regulation to be reopened, a position later backed by 15 other member states [2].
Supporters of the Regulation argue that the energy security concerns are unfounded. A growing body of evidence from researchers and independent analysts concludes that the EUMR is not contributing to current gas market pressures and that delaying its implementation would not improve Europe's energy security. Analyses by Clean Air Task Force [3], Environmental Defense Fund Europé [4], Ecologic Institute [5], Rystad Energy [6] and Data Desk [7] all challenge claims that the Regulation threatens gas supplies or creates excessive legal uncertainty.
The political campaign has also prompted a broad response. Opposition members of the US Congress urged Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to maintain the Regulation [8], while 96 US organisations sent a similar appeal [9]. European NGOs coordinated by Climate Action Network Europe have likewise called on the Commission not to weaken or postpone the leagislation [10].
At the Energy Council, Commissioner Dan Jørgensen reaffirmed the Commision’s position, argueing that reopening the Regulation would only increase market uncertainty. France, Spain and Luxembourg explicitly supported the Commission's approach.
The importance of methane action also received fresh international attention during London Climate Action Week, where UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for stronger global efforts to curb emissions [11]. Among his priorities were eliminating routine flaring and venting, ensuring methane emissions are measurable, reportable and verifiable, and establishing a science-based global methane standard for fossil fuels—all measures closely aligned with the EU Methane Regulation.
The next key milestone comes on 17 July, when the European Commission is expected to publish its Energy Package. With implementation of the methane rules continuing to feature prominently in discussions on Europe's energy security, the package may provide further signals about the Commission's direction.
The EU Methane RegulationThe EUMR, adopted in 2024, is the world's first legislation regulating methane emissions from both domestic production and imported fossil fuels. Importers are already subject to reporting requirements for new contracts. From 2027, they must demonstrate that systems are in place to measure, report and verify methane emissions during extraction, while from 2030 imported fossil fuels will have to meet the same methane performance standards as gas produced within the EU. |
[1] https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10728-2026-INIT/en/pdf
[2] Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria. Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands,Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden
[3] https://www.catf.us/resource/eu-methane-regulation-penalties/
[4] https://library.edf.org/AssetLink/8o8773p15m4v0bttsld0tusv15e6364y.pdf
[5] https://www.ecologic.eu/sites/default/files/publication/2026/EUMR-Article-27-The-Case-Against-a-Grace-Period-web.pdf
[6] https://library.edf.org/AssetLink/7000haw3l6ml1w87b58kilq13tirkfoh.pdf
[7] https://research.datadesk.eco/eumr-supply/
[8] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RNn1NSwbUjy7uLs_wrIa0mf-iv4CJZ_u/view
[9] https://oilchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/US-Organizations-Urge-the-European-Union-to-Resist-Fossil-Fuel-Lobbying-and-Preserve-Methane-Regulation-.pdf
[10] https://caneurope.org/app/uploads/2026/06/260610-joint-csom-letter-protect-the-eumr-and-implementation-of-sanctions.pdf
[11] https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/methane
