European Parliament votes to delay EU methane emissions rules by three years

The Council of the EU had not agreed its own position as of Wednesday, with member states due to try again on October 28

The European Parliament voted to push back the EU's methane emissions rules by three years, extending the timeline for a regime that was due to take effect on 1 January 2027. Those rules require foreign oil and gas suppliers to the EU to monitor and report their methane emissions.

The EPP Group, which led the push for the delay, said Parliament's vote will also require the European Commission to report by 1 July 2029 on whether Europe is ready to implement the rules and on the security of its energy supplies. MEP Dimitris Tsiodras said the vote backs "a targeted three-year postponement, providing greater legal certainty" and time for verification systems to become operational. Greens/EFA MEP Jutta Paulus opposed the move, saying greenhouse gas emissions have already caused "billions and billions" of euros in losses and damage this year.

The vote does not settle the matter. Member states on the Council of the EU failed on Wednesday to reach a qualified majority on their own negotiating position, with Germany among those seeking more time and other governments arguing a one-year delay is not long enough. A shift of one or two countries would be enough to block any deal, and the Council is due to try again on 28 October. Both the Council and Parliament must agree before any change to the rules takes effect.

The three-year delay would extend a one-year exemption for exporters that was granted in early October, giving US LNG and gas producers a longer run before compliance costs apply. That comes as Europe competes with Asia for cargoes after Qatar declared force majeure and transit volumes through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed, tightening gas supply heading into winter. The delay does not change that underlying tightness, but it removes one source of regulatory cost for the same US producers whose cargoes Europe is already bidding hard to secure, just as the Commission warns of an affordability crisis this winter.