EU postpones methane rules for importers to 2028
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Maghreb Emergent
Illustrative image · Nothing Ahead · Pexels · Licence PexelsEuropean Union member states have set 1 January 2028, instead of 2027, for obligations requiring importers of hydrocarbons and coal to check methane controls. The delay directly affects Algeria, the EU’s second-largest pipeline gas supplier, according to Maghreb Emergent.
European Union member states agreed on Friday 6 November in Brussels on their negotiating position to postpone until 1 January 2028 the obligation on importers of hydrocarbons and coal to verify that their suppliers apply methane control rules equivalent to those of the EU, instead of the 1 January 2027 date initially planned, Maghreb Emergent reports.
The European Commission will have to verify by 30 September 2027 that the elements required for reporting obligations are in place. Failing that, the deadline could be postponed by another year, according to Maghreb Emergent.
Irish Energy Minister Darragh O’Brien, whose country holds the EU Council presidency, advocates a “pragmatic approach” aimed at easing pressure on energy prices while maintaining European emissions reduction targets, Maghreb Emergent reports. Algeria, the EU’s second-largest pipeline gas supplier after Norway, had called with Qatar, Nigeria and the United States for adjustments to the timetable and a temporary suspension mechanism.
The decision comes after the failure of a first attempt on 21 October. It follows requests for a postponement made in June by twelve member states, including Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with Germany’s support, and the Commission’s recommendation on 20 July in favour of a three-year postponement, according to Maghreb Emergent.
