US and Qatar pressure EU to modify methane emissions rule

The European Union is set to introduce a methane‑monitoring and verification regime for oil and gas imports that will take effect in 2027. The United States, Qatar, Nigeria and Algeria have sent an open letter to EU leaders urging a pause and targeted amendments, warning that the rules could jeopardise fuel supplies. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Bloomberg that without “a meaningful reform of that rule, it is going to cause serious pain into Europe” and added that American LNG would simply “flow somewhere else.”

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has rejected calls to dilute the legislation, saying he will not reopen the rule and emphasizing its importance for cutting greenhouse‑gas emissions. Eleven EU member states, including Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland, have separately asked the Commission to delay implementation by three years, citing energy‑security risks amid geopolitical instability.

Industry analyses differ on the likely impact: a Wood Mackenzie study warned that roughly half of the EU’s gas imports could struggle to meet the new standards, while Rystad research for the Environmental Defense Fund found that compliant gas supplies could be three times current imports. EU energy ministers are scheduled to discuss the issue at a meeting in Luxembourg.