Summary
Cefic, alongside 23 industry associations has written to the European Commission regarding the implementation of the import requirements of the EU Methane Regulation (EU MR). The letters welcomes efforts to initiate a structured process with the Network of Competent Authorities to develop guidance and recommendations that support a pragmatic and harmonised implementation across the Union. Industry associations call for these efforts to be translated, as a matter of urgency, into clear and detailed deliverables from both the Commission and Member States that businesses can rely on with legal certainty.
Key recommendations
Industry expectations for the process and deliverables:
- Concrete, practical guidance from the European Commission that Member States can formalise at national level to provide the necessary legal certainty;
- Harmonised implementation across Member States is needed to prevent fragmented national reporting guidelines and market distortion. This will help to avoid the need for reporting to multiple competent authorities, inconsistent requirements from different EU competent authorities and mitigate the risk of facing redundant penalties. It will also ensure consistent approach to assessing the risk to security of supply and determining the level of penalties across Member States;
- Timely delivery aligned with EU MR implementation and real-world contracting timelines, recognising that supply decisions are being made now;
- Structured engagement with industry for example via setting up and regularly consulting an Industry Advisory Group and its ability to participate in collaborative meetings with the Network of Competent Authorities.