European Union governments agreed on Friday to delay by one year the bloc's methane reporting rules for oil, gas and coal importers, citing the disruption to energy markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East — the US-Israeli war with Iran — the Council of the European Union said in a statement. The Council's position, agreed on 6 November, is the member states' formal negotiating stance and now goes to talks with the European Parliament.

Source: Council of the EU press release, Nov 6; Reuters via GlobalBankingAndFinance, Nov 6

This is the next step after the development Awaaz Punjab reported last month, when the European Parliament voted for a much longer three-year delay. The Council has now held the delay to one year — but built in a review mechanism that could extend it further. Read: Parliament votes for a three-year methane delay

Member states agreed to keep the substance of the European Commission's proposal, presented on 14 October, postponing three sets of obligations by one year each, the Council said: monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) obligations for natural gas, crude oil and coal importers will now apply from 1 January 2028 instead of 1 January 2027; methane-intensity reporting for importers and EU producers moves to 5 August 2029 instead of 5 August 2028; and maximum methane-intensity levels move to 5 August 2031 instead of 5 August 2030.

Source: Council of the EU press release, Nov 6

The stated aim is to postpone the import rules and, in the Council's words, "avoid placing additional pressure on the EU's security of supply, in view of the disruption to energy markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East." Reuters reported that the Commission has said implementing the rules could make it harder for EU countries to secure enough oil and gas given the disruption caused by the Iran war, and that the European Council's conclusions of 15 and 16 October welcomed the delay proposal as a targeted measure on supply chains, energy security and fuel prices.

Source: Council of the EU press release, Nov 6; Reuters, Nov 6

Ireland's Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien, speaking for the Irish presidency of the Council, said: "There are significant pressures on global energy markets, which are driving up energy prices across the EU. More than ever, we need secure and reliable energy supplies in Europe. The Council's agreement today proposes a pragmatic approach forward, addressing the pressures in the energy market, while maintaining the EU's global leadership in reducing methane emissions." He said the Irish presidency is now focused on reaching an early agreement with the European Parliament.

Source: Council of the EU press release, Nov 6 (O'Brien quote)

A delay that could delay again

The Council's position also builds in a further postponement mechanism. By 30 September 2027 the Commission must assess whether the elements needed to implement the reporting obligations exist — including a sufficient number of third-party verifiers to check emission reports, EU implementing rules on transferring emissions information between producers and importers, and equivalent verification procedures in third countries. If any element is missing, the Commission will postpone the import-related monitoring obligations through secondary law, the Council said, and Reuters reported a second assessment by 30 June 2028 could open the way to a third year of delay. The Commission could also propose fresh changes to the regulation if implementation challenges continue or supply security is threatened.

Source: Council of the EU press release, Nov 6; Reuters, Nov 6

Environmental groups reacted with concern that a one-year delay could become rolling. Pablo Lopez Legarreta, Europe policy manager for methane pollution prevention at the Clean Air Task Force, said the Council's decision to limit the delay to one year instead of three was "a step in the right direction", but added: "One year must mean one year. Europe needs a genuine implementation period, not a rolling mechanism for continued delay."

Source: Clean Air Task Force, Nov 6

What happens next

The Council says it will seek an early agreement with the European Parliament so the postponement takes effect by the end of the year — because under the current law the import monitoring rules are due to apply from 1 January 2027. The methane regulation itself was adopted in May 2024 and entered into force in August 2024, introducing measurement, reporting and verification requirements for the energy sector and transparency rules for crude oil, natural gas and coal imported into the EU. For readers in the Gulf and in Punjab, the decision is another measure of how the Iran war is rewriting energy policy far beyond the region: Europe is putting supply security ahead of a flagship climate rule, at least for a year.