On November 15, 2023, almost two years after the European Commission’s initial proposal, the European institutions reached a final agreement on the text of the EU Methane Regulation. This is the first EU-wide regulation tackling methane emissions, the main component of fossil gas.
After long negotiations and repeated attempts until the end to dilute the content of the legislation by the fossil fuel industry, an agreement was reached between the Member states and the European Parliament. It is a first step in the right direction, as the regulation introduces new requirements for the oil, gas and coal sectors to measure, report and verify methane emissions (so-called MRV rules), and adds methane abatement measures with leak, detection and repair rules (LDAR) and a ban on routine venting and flaring (BRVF). The monitoring and reporting rules of this framework and some contractual obligations will also be extended to emissions from imported energy sources, representing the EU’s biggest consumption.
However, this is not enough. Several crucial elements are missing, endangering the effectiveness of the Regulation to concretely cut down the EU’s methane emissions from the energy sector.
Read more about the key elements of the methane regulation compromise agreement
