The methane regulation delay won Parliament’s backing with a vote of 341 in favour, 225 against and 6 abstentions on the Commission’s proposal to postpone certain obligations. MEPs voted on Thursday of the October plenary week and chose a longer pause than the Commission itself had requested.

The Commission proposed to postpone by one year certain importer obligations due from 1 January 2027, along with methane intensity reporting due by August 2028. Parliament instead wants three years. Under its text, importers of crude oil, natural gas and coal must show by 31 May 2031 that contracts concluded or renewed since 4 August 2024 cover only fuel produced under equivalent monitoring rules. The same date applies to reports on bringing older contracts into line.

The methane regulation delay also moves reporting dates. EU producers and importers would first report the methane intensity of their fossil fuels by 5 August 2031, rather than 5 August 2029. Verified source-level and site-level reports would follow in February 2030 for operated assets and in August 2031 for non-operated assets.

Parliament did include one firm limit. Sanctioned countries get no extra time, so the existing schedule continues for oil, gas and coal that originates there. Importers must report these volumes separately, including in mixed cargoes, and the Commission will publish and update an indicative list. That carve-out shows how the debate has tied climate rules to security and sanctions policy.

The Commission must report by 1 July 2029 on implementation and security of supply, and it can propose changes if needed. Parliament used the urgent procedure under Rule 170 and wants the amending regulation to enter into force the day after publication in the Official Journal. The legislative file runs under procedure 2026/0325(COD), and Parliament says it is ready to negotiate with the Council.

The vote follows a debate with Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen on 6 October. The original regulation has been in force since 4 August 2024, so the amendment would reshape a rulebook that is barely two years old. The 225 votes against show that a sizeable bloc sees any methane regulation delay as a weakening of climate ambition.

For energy importers and producers, the practical question is timing. If governments accept Parliament’s dates, the methane regulation delay would give industry until 2031 for its main proof-of-equivalence and intensity reporting. If the Council prefers the Commission’s one-year pause, the talks will turn on how much relief the sector can expect.