On Wednesday 15 July, the EU Council’s preparatory bodies (Coreper I) discussed the implementation of the methane regulation (2024/1787).
Next week, in principle, the Commission is due to present two written recommendations: one for importers, on methane emissions statements compliance; the other for Member States, on applying penalties. Thus far, as the Commission noted during the meeting, only three Member States have established a penalties regime.
At the ‘Energy’ Council on 26 June, under pressure from industry and certain exporting countries, including the United States, several Member States called for the regulation’s implementation to be postponed by three years (see EUROPE 13897/2).
This is something that Dan Jørgensen, the European Commissioner for Energy, ruled out (see EUROPE 13895/7). Another Council source stated, however, that “it’s unlikely that the Commission can withstand pressure from 17 Member States”.
The Netherlands and France favour postponing penalties by three years, as proposed in a Commission document leaked at the end of May (see EUROPE 13877/9). Other Member States (Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czechia, Austria, the Netherlands, Romania, Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Cyprus) feel this would be insufficient, favouring amendment to the regulation.
The German ambassador was absent, according to a Council source. Sweden and Malta did not intervene in the discussions.
Nevertheless, one voice emphasised that European legislation should not be dictated by countries outside the EU. (Original version in French by Nadège Delépine)