EU crackdown on methane emissions: Germany joins the chorus of opposition, but the Commission presses ahead

In the midst of the second heatwave since May, amid record temperatures, deaths, heatwave warnings, and yellow and red alerts, production stoppages and power cuts, a group of EU Member States, including Italia, has proposed postponing the regulations limiting methane emissions by three years.

The initiative began with a letter signed by 12 governments, joined by the German government, which did not sign the document but supports its objective. The energy ministers discussed it on Friday 26th.

The regulations in question come into force next year: the EU will require the monitoring and verification of methane emissions from imported oil and gas as well, with a view to reducing emissions. Suspending these measures could lead to legal disputes, precisely because the legislation has already been in force since 2024 for domestic fossil fuel production.

There is, however, strong opposition from certain sectors of industry and suppliers, including Qatar and the United States – the latter now staunch opponents of any action to combat global warming, wherever it may be attempted. The argument – or the threat – is that EU legislation will hamper the supply of fossil fuels, precisely at a time when the Hormuz crisis has triggered an energy shock (though, following the truce between the United States and Iran, prices have returned to pre-crisis levels) and supplies of aviation fuel are under pressure. Importers are reportedly reluctant to enter into contractual agreements that breach EU rules. This objection echoes those previously raised against other climate regulations – which were subsequently watered down – such as environmental due diligence on supply chains.

According to the German Minister for the Economy, Katherina Reiche, ‘as things stand, the methane regulation would prevent imports of liquefied gas and petroleum products into Germany’.