The European Commission has advised EU countries to suspend methane-law penalties for three years to help protect energy supplies. The recommendation follows pressure from the United States, Qatar, industry groups, and many EU member states concerned about gas availability.
Environmental groups warn that delaying enforcement could weaken one of the world's most ambitious methane reduction policies. The European Commission (EC) has informed EU governments that they should waive penalties for oil and gas companies that breach its methane emissions law for the next three years, owing to pressure from the United States government to scrap the rules.
The EC made the move after the U.S. and Qatar, as well as oil and gas industry groups and most EU member states, voiced concerns about the strict rules and demanded change.
The EC announced that the changes were justified “in a context of global energy markets tightness caused by the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.” The Strait has been almost completely closed since February, following the U.S.-Israeli-led war on Iran.
The EU climate policy, a world first, was adopted in 2024 to crack down on methane leaks in a bid to tackle climate change.
