Ahead of the June 2026 EU Summit and Energy Council meetings, in this joint statement, the signatories call on Member States to urge the Commission to present a revised implementation timeline for the Regulation’s importer requirements that come into effect on 1 January 2027. The signatories fully support an effective regulatory framework to reduce methane emissions and are committed to complying with the EU Methane Regulation.
The European Commission’s intention to address some of the shortcomings by issuing Recommendations is welcome but cannot provide the legal certainty required for contracting new supplies, nor can it remedy the issue of non-compliance.
While the Recommendations are a positive first step, they do not provide the sufficient legal certainty. An updated timeline should be urgently discussed and adopted. This targeted amendment should in particular postpone the application of Chapter V requirements for importers, including MRV equivalence and methane intensity requirements, to dates that are consistent with the development of necessary yet currently missing implementing acts, standards, methodologies and resources for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Methane Emissions at EU, international and Member State level.