S&D MEPs press von der Leyen to limit EU methane rule postponement to one year
Five Socialists and Democrats MEPs wrote to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging that any delay to the EU methane import rules be capped at a single year, or the proposal be withdrawn.
On 12 October, a group of five Socialists and Democrats members of the European Parliament sent a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and three other commissioners. The signatories - Mohammed Chahim, Tiemo Wölken, Jens Geier, Günther Sidl and Thomas Pellerin-Carlin - demanded that any postponement of the EU’s methane import regulations be strictly limited to one year, otherwise the Commission should withdraw the proposal.
Their stance comes after Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen indicated the Commission would propose a one-year delay to the rules set to start on 1 January 2027, citing pressure from member states, the United States and oil-gas firms. The S&D MEPs argue that a longer deferral would distort the regulation’s intent. They urge the Commission to exercise its right to retract the measure if a longer extension is pursued by the Parliament or national governments.
Why it matters
The decision will shape EU climate policy and affect the timing of stricter methane emissions controls.
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