EU Weighs Methane Import Rule Delay as IEA Keeps Oil Stock Option Open
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen says the bloc may delay methane import rules by a year; IEA chief Fatih Birol says further oil stock releases are not currently a priority.
The European Union is considering a delay to its methane emissions rules for oil and gas imports, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said, as European governments grow anxious about tight energy supplies and high prices ahead of winter.
Speaking to reporters at a meeting of EU energy ministers in Dublin, Jorgensen said he had directed his services to examine options for postponing the section of the law dealing with imports. The rules, due to take effect on January 1, 2027, would oblige foreign oil and gas producers supplying the EU to monitor and report their methane emissions.
Methane is the second-largest driver of climate change after carbon dioxide. The legislation has run into growing resistance as the Iran war disrupts global oil and gas flows, with European capitals worried that the prospect of penalties could discourage suppliers from sending fuel to Europe during the winter.
Jorgensen stressed that the review concerns timing, not the law's ambition. Any postponement, which he said could last a year, should be conditional on all member states using the additional time to prepare fully for implementation once the delay ends.
French President Emmanuel Macron last week urged a one-year delay, warning that the measure could expose importers to legal risks as supplies tighten. Around a dozen other EU countries, along with the United States — Europe's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas — had earlier this year sought a pause or rollback of the law.
International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol, who attended the Dublin meeting, said IEA member states could in future discuss releasing more strategic oil reserves, but that additional releases are currently not the agency's top priority.
"We are following the markets very closely, especially the product markets, diesel and others. If there is a need, of course, we will discuss with our member governments to take the necessary steps," Birol told reporters.
The 32-member IEA agreed in March to a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of strategic oil reserves, the largest in its history. Birol said countries have so far released 20% of their total stocks, leaving 80% remaining.
Asked whether he was advising the United States against proceeding with a ban on diesel exports — an idea President Donald Trump backed last week — Birol said the IEA offers all members suggestions on what would be good for the countries themselves as well as their allies and partners worldwide.