EU weighs one-year delay to methane rules for energy imports

EU energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen has asked officials to examine whether methane rules for fossil fuel imports can be postponed by a year, potentially moving monitoring and reporting requirements from 2027 to 2028. [1]

Speaking to Bloomberg on Friday, 25 September 2026, in remarks carried by Nieuws.nl, Jørgensen said the extra time would allow market participants to implement the rules without harming energy supply security or prices. The review concerns the import provisions of the legislation. [1]

The requirements are intended to reduce methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas released during oil and gas production that contributes substantially to global warming. [1]

Oil and gas companies have criticised the rules, warning that they could put supply security at risk. The European Commission had already advised earlier this year that sanctions for breaches should be delayed until 2030, but industry and member states continued to raise concerns about insufficient legal clarity, the ANP/Bloomberg report said. That advice on sanctions is separate from the possible postponement of the import requirements now being examined. [1]