European Parliament lawmakers on Thursday rejected a European Commission proposal to delay the EU's methane rules by one year, instead backing a three-year postponement until 2031.
The move highlights growing divisions over how far the EU should go in softening environmental regulations as governments struggle with high energy prices, supply disruptions and concerns about industrial competitiveness.
The EU's methane regulation requires companies importing fossil fuels to show that their suppliers outside the bloc meet equivalent standards for monitoring, reporting and verifying methane emissions.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola described the vote as "strengthening Europe’s energy security" amid uncertainty in global energy markets.
"The Parliament swiftly voted in favour of postponing certain obligations under the EU Methane Regulation, giving energy companies more time to prepare for the new rules. A more realistic timeline, effective implementation and continued progress on cutting emissions," Metsola wrote on X.
The Commission proposed a one-year delay following pressure from the oil and gas industry and several EU countries, recently joined by France. They have cited concerns over energy security and high prices amid continued disruption to key shipping routes in the Middle East.
But the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) pushed for a vote on delaying the EU's methane rules, amid a breakdown in political negotiations on Wednesday, according to three parliamentary sources.
Virgil Popescu, an EPP MEP and former Romanian energy minister, said on 20 October that he would seek a three-year postponement of certain obligations, citing the difficulties facing domestic oil and gas producers, including those operating older wells.
Centre-right secures longer delay
Social Democrats and Liberals backed the Commission's one-year delay, while the Greens and the Left called on the EU executive to reject its proposal and stick to the 2029 timeline.
Jutta Paulus, a Greens/EFA MEP and lead negotiator on the methane regulation, accused the Commission of bowing to pressure from the oil and gas industry.
"With the announcement of the delay, the fossil fuel lobby has smelt blood and is already making further demands. Suspending the Methane Regulation now puts Europe’s climate targets at risk and opens the door to further weakening of the rules,” Paulus said.
Under the EPP-backed proposal, the Commission would also assess in mid-2029 whether further changes were needed if energy companies continued to face compliance difficulties or concerns over security of supply persisted.
"The European Parliament has backed our proposal for a targeted three-year postponement, providing greater legal certainty, allowing verification systems to become fully operational and ensuring equal treatment of EU producers and importers," said Greek EPP MEP Dimitris Tsiodras.
EPP group spokesman on industry and energy Christian Ehler had described the Commission's one-year delay as "far from sufficient". He said the EPP and at least 15 EU countries have been calling for a three-year delay.
"This is not about increasing or permitting further methane emissions, it is about security of supply and lower energy prices," Ehler said.
The legislation is being considered under an urgent procedure, with the aim of bringing the changes into force before the end of the year.
Methane rules under pressure
EU member states adopted methane rules in May 2024, introducing the bloc’s first framework for measuring, reporting and verifying methane emissions in the energy sector as part of efforts to curb one of the most potent greenhouse gases. Failure to honour such requests for data incurs penalties.
However, the Commission proposed in July waiving penalties linked to the bloc's methane rules for three years to appease industry fears and pressure from the US, the EU's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier.
A longer postponement could carry a political cost for the EU's climate ambitions. Extending the timetable would give suppliers more time, but could also weaken the incentive to invest in emissions monitoring and leak reduction.
Environmentalists argued that delaying the application of the methane rules won't address supply or pricing concerns.
"It is global supply shocks and Europe's dependence on fossil fuels that are driving current market pressures," the independent platform European Civil Society Observatory on Methane said in a statement.
The group estimates that implementing the regulation fully and on schedule could generate around €704 billion in climate, health and economic benefits, against regulatory costs of €49 billion.
It also argues that the measures could prevent an estimated 155,000 premature deaths worldwide by 2030.
The NGO Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said the EU is responsible for the harm caused by dirty fossil gas extraction and imports.
"Fully enforcing EU methane rules without delay or deregulation is essential for the future of our energy security, for positioning the EU as a global leader in methane action, and for moving closer to a full phase-out of fossil gas by 2035," CAN Europe said.