European Commission proposes delaying key EU Methane Regulation import and reporting deadlines

On 14 October 2026, the Commission adopted a Proposal to postpone by one year certain requirements under the EU Methane Regulation. 

The proposed amendments relate to monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for importers of natural gas, oil and coal, as well as methane-intensity reporting requirements for both importers and EU producers. 

Why the delay is being proposed

The Commission's press release notes that Europe is preparing for a challenging winter with high energy prices. The strain on global energy markets linked to the conflict in the Middle East puts pressure on European markets, driving up prices and potentially reducing the availability of gas and oil. The explanatory memorandum to the Proposal explains that importers have indicated that they might not be able to secure sufficient energy supplies compliant with the EU Methane Regulation from 1 January 2027. 

The Commission also points to implementation pressures raised by a number of Member States, third countries and operators. The additional time is meant to let Member States complete their national penalty regimes, national accreditation bodies accredit verifiers, and national competent authorities assess and recognise compliance solution providers. 

What changes are being proposed

The changes proposed by the Commission include the following: 

• equivalence of MRV measures for imports: importers must currently demonstrate and report, from 1 January 2027, that contracts concluded or renewed on or after 4 August 2024 are subject to monitoring, reporting and verification measures at producer level equivalent to those under the EU Methane Regulation. The Proposal pushes this back to 31 May 2029 and annually thereafter. 
• methane-intensity reporting: EU producers and importers must currently report on the methane intensity of production from 5 August 2028. The proposal delays this to 5 August 2029, and by 31 May each year thereafter.
• compliance with maximum methane-intensity values: EU producers and importers must currently demonstrate compliance with maximum methane-intensity values from 5 August 2030. The proposal defers this to 5 August 2031 and by 31 May every year thereafter (for supply contracts concluded or renewed after 5 August 2030).

Next steps

The Proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for adoption under the ordinary legislative procedure. The Commission has indicated it wants the Proposal agreed swiftly, to maintain regulatory certainty, so we might expect some steps from it to speed up the process. 

For more information on the EU Methane Regulation, see our previous blog posts:

• EU Methane Regulation: Commission adopts recommendations on compliance and penalties
• Official publication of the EU Regulation on the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector