European Parliament Backs Three-Year Delay to Some Methane Rules

The European Parliament voted on Thursday, 22 October, to postpone certain methane monitoring and reporting requirements for oil, gas and coal imports by three years, going beyond the European Commission's proposed one-year delay.

The vote was 341 in favour, 225 against and six abstentions. It sets Parliament's negotiating position, not a final change in the law: a deal with EU governments is still required.

Under the proposal, importers would have until 31 May 2031 to demonstrate EU-equivalent monitoring, reporting and verification for fuel covered by contracts concluded or renewed since 4 August 2024. Older contracts would remain subject to reporting on efforts to bring suppliers into line.

EU producers and importers would also submit their first methane-intensity reports by 5 August 2031. The proposed extensions would not cover fuel imports affected by EU sanctions prohibiting or restricting those supplies.

MEPs want a Commission assessment of implementation and energy-supply security by 1 July 2029. Parliament said importers had warned of difficulty securing enough compliant fuel while energy markets are strained.

The timetable matters for suppliers selling into Europe's energy market, but Thursday's vote does not itself grant companies a legal postponement.

Sources: Reuters via Duke FM; European Parliament press release; adopted amendments, 22 October 2026.

Archival photo: European Parliament hemicycle in Brussels, 2024. Profpcde / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9 by Morval Universal.